STACK 
ANJtcX 


SMITH 


CM.IF.  Lisiuwr,  LOS 


GOLF 


BY 

GARDEN    G.    SMITH 


I 


GOLF 


BY 

GARDEN    G.    SMITH 

WITH    A    CONTRIBUTION    BY 

MRS.    MACKERN 


NEW  YORK 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


GOLF 

THE  game  of  golf  consists  in  playing  a 
ball,  in  as  few  strokes  as  possible,  from  cer- 
tain starting  places,  called  teeing-grounds, 
with  various  clubs,  suited  to  the  nature  of  the 
stroke,  into  a  succession  of  holes  cut  in  the 
ground  at  varying  distances. 

Golf  may  be  played  on  any  park  or  com- 
mon, but  its  original  home  is  the  "  Links,"  or 
common  land  which  is  found  by  the  seashore, 
where  the  short  close  turf,  the  sandy  subsoil, 
and  the  many  natural  obstacles  in  the  shape 
of  bents,  whins,  sand-holes  and  banks,  supply 
the  conditions  which  are  essential  to  the 
proper  pursuit  of  the  game. 

Eighteen  is  the  usual  number  of  holes  in  a 
golf  course,  and  in  arranging  the  succession 
of  these  holes  care  should  be  taken  that  they 
are  so  placed  that  parties  playing  to  one 

1C9L74G 


8  GOLF 

hole  shall  not  be  crossed  or  met  by  parties 
playing  to  another.  If  sufficient  suitable 
ground  be  not  available  to  admit  of  this 
being  done,  it  is  better  to  limit  the  number 
of  holes  to  15,  12  or  9. 

The  extent  and  nature  of  the  ground 
available  will  determine  the  distances  between 
the  individual  holes,  and  these  should  be 
placed  so  as  to  take  advantage  of  any  natural 
features  in  the  shape  of  hillocks,  hollows, 
ditches  or  other  obstacles,  to  test  the  skill  of 
the  golfer,  and  lend  variety  and  interest  to 
the  play.  As  a  general  rule,  a  hole  should 
not  be  much  shorter  than  100  yards,  or  longer 
than  500  yards,  while  the  entire  course,  if 
made  up  of  1 8  holes,  and  measured  from  hole 
to  hole,  should  be  from  2|  to  3f  or  4  miles  in 
length.  For  each  hole  there  is  a  starting 
point,  called  the  teeing-ground.  The  first  of 
these  is  usually  marked  out  near  the  club- 
house, and  the  others  are  placed  near  the 
hole  previously  played,  but  in  such  a  position 
that  parties  playing  from  it  will  be  out  of 
the  line  of  fire  of  those  playing  to  the  previous 
hole. 

The  game  commences  at  the  first  teeing- 
ground,  and  the  hole  to  which  the  ball  is  to 


GOLF  g 

be  played  is  cut  in  a  well-cared-for  green, 
called  the  putting-green.  The  hole  is  round, 
4^  inches  in  diameter,  and  should  be  at  least 
4  inches  in  depth.  To  preserve  its  shape,  it 
is  usually  lined  with  tin  or  iron,  but  this 
lining  should  be  pressed  down  into  the  hole, 
so  as  to  leave  half  an  inch  of  turf  above  its 
upper  rim.  If  this  is  not  done,  and  the  metal 
rim  is  left  flush  with  the  surface  of  the  grass, 
many  balls  that  would  otherwise  go  in,  will 
either  run  round  the  rim  or  jump  over  the 
hole.  A  movable  flag  or  disc,  mounted  on  a 
stick  or  pin,  is  placed  in  the  hole  to  indicate 
its  position. 

The  putting-green,  technically,  is  all  ground 
within  20  yards  of  the  hole  (Rule  30),  and 
all  this  space,  if  possible,  should  be  of  the 
closest  and  smoothest  turf.  It  is  not  desira- 
ble to  have  the  surface  flat  like  a  billiard- 
table  ;  and  an  undulating  surface,  provided 
the  turf  be  equal  and  true,  will  be  found  to 
make  the  putting  more  interesting  and 
difficult. 

Between  the  teeing-ground  and  the  put- 
ting-green should  be  found,  whether  they 
be  natural  or  artificially  formed,  various 
"  hazards "  in  the  shape  of  sand-pits  or 


jo  GOLF 

"  bunkers,"  ditches,  gorse,  roads,  or  other 
obstacles  ;  and  these  should  be  placed  so  as 
to  catch  and  punish  badly-played  balls, 
while  plenty  of  open  space  and  good  turf 
should  be  found  between  them  to  reward 
well- hit  strokes. 

Thus,  supposing  a  hole  be  250  yards  in 
length  measured  from  the  teeing-ground, 
there  should  be  a  hazard  of  some  sort  ex- 
tending right  across  the  line  of  the  hole, 
about  100  or  130  yards  from  the  tee.  Be- 
yond this,  the  ground  should  be  good  ;  but, 
guarding  the  hole  again,  and  some  30  or  40 
yards  in  front  of  it,  there  should  be  another 
hazard  which  the  player  would  have  to  carry 
before  reaching  the  putting-green.  In  addi- 
tion, hazards  may  be  placed  on  either  side  of 
the  course  to  catch  crooked  balls,  and  also 
beyond  the  hole  to  punish  those  that  are 
hit  too  strongly,  but  "blind"  hazards — i.e., 
hazards  which  are  not  visible  to  the  player, 
such  as  sunk  ditches  or  holes,  should  either 
be  marked  or  filled  up. 

The  Ball  used  in  playing  golf  is  made  in 
various  sizes,  but  that  most  in  use  measures 
about  if  inches  in  diameter.  It  is  usually 
made  of  well-seasoned  gutta-percha,  grooved 


GOLF  ii 

or  notched  on  the  surface,  and  painted  white. 
Prior  to  the  introduction  of  gutta-percha, 
golf-balls  were  made  of  feathers,  forced  into 
a  case  of  leather,  and  the  figures  27  and 
2/|-,  &c.,  which  are  used  to-day  in  differ- 
entiating the  various  sizes  of  balls,  represent 
the  weight  in  pennyweights  of  the  old  feather 
balls.  Several  kinds  of  composition  balls, 
known  generically  as  "  putties,"  in  contradis- 
tinction to  the  "gutties"  or  gutta-percha 
balls,  though  they  have  had  a  certain  vogue, 
have  failed  to  take  the  place  of  those  made  of 
the  raw  material.  Balls  made  of  fresh  gutta- 
percha  are  properly  seasoned  and  at  their 
best  about  six  months  after  being  made  and 
painted,  but  care  should  be  taken  that  they 
are  kept  at  an  even  and  moderate  tempera- 
ture. If  they  are  kept  longer  they  are  apt  to 
become  brittle,  and,  when  struck,  the  paint 
will  crack  off. 

There  are  many  varieties  of  golf  Clubs, 
but  those  most  commonly  in  use,  and  all  that 
are  really  necessary  for  the  player,  are  as 
follows  :  Driver,  Brassy,  Cleek,  Mashie, 
Iron,  Niblick,  and  Putter. 

All  other  golf  clubs  are  either  adaptations 
or  modifications  of  these. 


i >  GOLF 

The  driver  and  brassy  are  wooden  clubs, 
and  the  putter  may  also  be  of  the  same 
material.  The  heads  of  the  others  are  made 
of  malleable  iron.  The  heads  of  wooden 
clubs  are  usually  made  of  well-seasoned 
beech-wood.  Apple-wood  is  also  used,  but 
it  is  hard,  and  lacks  the  spring  of  beech- 
wood.  The  best  shafts,  both  for  wooden 
and  iron  clubs,  are  made  of  hickory,  although 
good  shafts  are  also  made  of  ash,  lance 
wood,  greenheart,  lemon  tree,  and  a  variety 
of  other  woods.  The  best  heads  for  clubs 
are  those  in  which  the  grain  of  the  wood 
runs  down  the  neck  and  along  the  head. 
If  the  grain  runs  across  the  neck,  the  club 
is  sure  to  break  in  course  of  play.  The 
finest  shafts,  though  they  are  difficult  to 
obtain,  are  made  of  split  hickory  —  i.e., 
hickory  which  is  split  from  the  wood  with 
the  grain,  and  not  sawn  off  the  plank. 

The  Driver — The  driver  is  the  club  used 
from  the  tee  if  the  hole  be  long,  or  if  the 
ball  lie  well,  whenever  it  is  desired  to  play 
it  as  far  as  possible  towards  the  hole.  It 
is  a  wooden  club  with  a  long  powerful  shaft. 
The  head  should  have  plenty  of  wood  in  it 
and  the  face  or  hitting  part  of  the  head 


SET  OF  CLUBS. 


14  GOI.F 

should  be  fairly  deep.  It  should  not  be 
hollowed  out  in  the  middle,  nor  sloped 
back  when  the  club  head  is  laid  on  the 
ground. 

The  Brassy — The  head  of  the  brassy  is 
smaller  and  shorter  than  that  of  the  driver, 
and  the  sole  is  shod  with  brass,  to  preserve 
the  wood  when  the  ball  has  to  be  played 
from  stony  or  hard  ground.  The  face  of 
the  brassy  is  often  "  spooned "  or  sloped 
backward,  so  as  to  raise  the  ball  in  the  air, 
and  the  smaller  size  of  the  head  admits 
of  its  being  used  when  the  ball  lies  in 
a  "  cup "  or  indentation  of  the  ground, 
which  the  driver  head  would  be  too  large 
to  enter. 

The  Cleek — The  cleek  is  an  iron-headed 
club  with  a  straight  and  narrow  face.  The 
shaft  is  longer  than  that  of  other  iron  clubs, 
and  it  is  chiefly  used  in  playing  full  shots 
through  the  green,  when  the  ball  lies  badly, 
or  when  a  wooden  club  would  take  it  too 
far. 

The  Iron — The  iron  has  a  deeper  blade 
or  face  than  the  cleek  and  is  shorter  in  the 
shaft.  Irons  are  made'  of  various  weights 
and  with  various  degrees  of  pitch  or  loft, 


GOLF  15 

and  are  chiefly  used  for  approaching  the 
hole,  or  for  lifting  the  ball  over  hazards  or 
out  of  sand. 

The  Mashie — The  mashie  is  shorter  in 
the  head  than  the  iron,  and  bears  much  the 
same  relation  to  it  that  the  brassy  does 
to  the  driver.  Like  the  iron,  it  is  also  made 
of  various  weights  and  degrees  of  loft,  for 
particular  strokes,  and  its  uses  are  practically 
the  same. 

The  Niblick — The  niblick  is  used  when 
the  ball  lies  badly  in  sand,  mud,  whins  or 
other  hazards,  or  wherever  it  is  necessary 
to  use  ojeat  force  to  extricate  the  ball  from 

o 

its  position.  The  head  is  round,  small,  and 
very  heavy. 

The  Putter — The  putter  is  used  chiefly 
after  the  ball  has  been  played  on  to  the 
putting-green,  to  play  the  ball  into  the  hole. 
The  head  is  made  either  of  wood  or  metal. 
It  is  more  upright  and  the  shaft  is  much 
shorter  than  that  of  any  other  club,  and 
should  be  quite  stiff.  There  are  many 
varieties  of  metal  putters,  no  one  of  which 
can  be  said  to  be  better  than  another.  The 
chief  points  to  be  looked  to  in  a  putter,  its 
appearance  and  make  being  secondary  con- 


1 6  GOLF 

siderations,  are  that  it  should  be  well  balanced 
and  not  too  heavy. 

A  Bulger  is  a  wooden  driver  or  brassy 
with  a  convex  face  instead  of  a  straight  one. 
It  is  claimed  by  its  admirers  that  a  ball 
struck  on  the  heel  or  toe  off  this  convex 
face,  will  still  go  straight,  unlike  a  ball  simi- 
larly struck  from  an  ordinary  club,  which  will 
fly  to  the  right  or  left  respectively.  If,  how- 
ever, the  club  be  drawn  in  towards  the  body, 
or  thrown  out  from  it  in  striking,  as  very 
commonly  happens,  the  convex  face  will  con- 
siderably augment  the  curve  thus  put  upon 
the  ball,  so  that  any  advantage  it  may  possess 
in  the  one  case  is  counterbalanced  by  its 
disadvantage  in  the  other.  It  is  generally 
conceded,  however,  that  a  ball,  if  struck 
truly  with  the  apex  of  the  convexity,  will 
fly  off  quicker,  and  consequently  travel  far- 
ther, from  the  bulger  than  from  a  straight- 
faced  club,  where  the  area  of  contact  is 
larger. 

Spoons,  or  wooden  clubs  of  different 
lengths,  with  their  faces  hollowed  out  at 
various  angles,  are  now  almost  obsolete. 
The  long  spoon,  mid  spoon,  short  spoon 
or  barring  spoon  or  baffy  (the  latter  used 


GOLF 


for  approaching  the  hole),  are  now  rarely 
seen,  having  been  supplanted  by  the  brassy, 
and  the  modern  irons  and  mashics. 


METHODS  OF  PLAYING  THE  GAME. 

The    game    is    played    by    two    or    more 
sides,   each    playing    its   own   ball   (Rule    i) 
and   the  object  of  each   side  is  to  hole  the 
ball  in  fewer  strokes  than  the  other. 

There  are  two  methods  by  which  matches 
can  be  played,  viz.  :  Match  Play  and  Medal 
Play.  In  the  former  the  players  count  by 
holes,  and  in  the  latter  by  strokes. 

Match  Play — In  a  match  by  holes  the 
usual  number  of  players  is  two,  and  the 
players  begin  at  the  first  teeing -ground. 
The  ball  is  placed  on  a  small  elevation, 
usually  a  pinch  of  sand,  called  a  "  tee." 
The  player  who  strikes  first,  the  order  of 
starting  being  usually  settled  by  agreement 
or  by  toss,  is  said  to  have  the  "  honour," 
and  this  he  retains  until  his  opponent  wins 
a  hole.  After  both  have  struck  from  the 
tee,  the  player  whose  ball  is  farthest  from 
the  hole  plays  again,  and  so  on  until  each 
player  has  played  his  ball  into  the  hole 


i8  GOLF 

The  player  who  has  done  the  hole  in  the 
fewest  strokes  wins  the  hole,  and  if  both 
have  taken  the  same  number,  the  hole  is 
said  to  be  "  halved."  At  the  end  of  the 
round,  the  player  who  has  won  most  holes 
wins  the  match,  and  if  both  have  won  an 
equal  number,  the  match  is  said  to  be 
"halved"  or  "drawn."  It  must  be  observed 
in  "  Match  Play,"  that  the  total  number  of 
strokes  taken  to  the  various  holes  does  not 
directly  affect  the  result,  as  for  instance, 
A  may  take  3  to  the  first  hole  and  B  8, 
but  A  only  wins  i  hole.  At  the  second 
hole  A  may  take  6  and  B  5,  which  makes 
them  "  all  square "  or  "all  even"  in  holes, 
although  A's  total  strokes  are  only  9,  while 
B's  are  13. 

Should  one  of  the  players,  A,  find  himself 
a  number  of  holes  to  the  good,  equal  to  the 
number  remaining  to  be  played,  or,  in  other 
words,  in  such  a  position  that  his  opponent, 
B,  even  by  winning  all  the  remaining  holes, 
could  only  tie  with  him,  A  is  said  to  be 
"  dormy,"  and  should  A  win  the  next  hole, 
the  match  is  over,  as  he  must  eventually  win 
by  i  hole  at  least. 

Supposing  A  were   3   holes  to  the  good, 


GOLF  19 

with  but  3  holes  remaining  to  be  played,  he 
would  be  "  dormy  three,"  and  should  he  win 
the  next  hole  he  would  win  by  4  holes  and 
2  to  play. 

The  remaining  holes  in  this  case  are  only 
two,  called  the  "  bye,"  and  A  would  be  said 
to  have  won  the  "  Long  Match." 

In  Match  Play  the  game  is  counted  be- 
tween the  holes  by  the  terms,  "  the  odd," 
"  the  like,"  "  2  more,"  "  i  off  2,"  and  so  on. 
Thus  when  A  has  played  one  more  than  B, 
he  is  said  to  have  played  "  the  odd,"  and 
when  B  plays  he  has  played  "  the  like."  If 
A  has  played  two  or  three  more  strokes  than 
B,  B  then  plays  one  off  2  or  3,  as  the  case 
may  be,  and  so  on. 

A  plays  the  "long  odds"  to  B,  when  B 
lies  much  nearer  the  hole  in  the  same  number 
of  strokes. 

Foursome — A  match  by  holes  is  often 
played  by  four  players,  two  against  two,  and 
is  called  a  foursome.  Only  two  balls  are 
used,  the  partners  striking  alternately,  both 
from  the  tees  and  throughout  the  green. 
A  stroke  exacted  as  a  penalty  under  any 
of  the  rules  does  not  affect  the  rotation 
of  play.  For  example,  if  A  and  B  are 

u  2 


20  GOLF 

partners,  and  A  plays  their  ball  into  water, 
from  which  it  has  to  be  lifted  and  dropped 
under  a  penalty  of  one  stroke,  the  next  stroke 
is  played  by  B  and  not  by  A. 

Three-ball  Match — Three-ball  matches 
are  played  by  three  players,  each  playing  his 
own  ball,  but  if  the  play  is  by  holes,  the 
scoring  becomes  somewhat  difficult  and 
complicated,  and,  if  the  three  players  are  all 
playing  against  each  other,  it  makes  a  better 
game  to  count  by  strokes. 

A  good  three-ball  match  can  be  made 
when  one  of  the  players  plays  what  is  called 
the  "best  ball"  of  the  other  two.  This 
means  that  in  order  to  win  a  hole,  he  must 
do  it  in  fewer  strokes  than  either  of  the  other 
two.  It  is  obvious  that  in  this  form  of  match 
the  conceder  of  odds  must  be  superior  to 
each  of  the  other  two  players. 

"  Colonel  Bogey  "  —A  method  of  scoring 
by  holes  which  has  lately  become  popular 
is  for  the  players  to  compete  against  a  score 
supposed  to  have  been  made  by  "  Colonel 
Bogey."  This  gentleman  is  simply  the  com- 
mittee's embodiment  of  a  first-rate  player, 
and  his  score  represents  approximately 
the  number  of  strokes  which  ought  to  be 


GOLF  21 

taken  to  each  hole  without  serious  mistakes. 
The  players  play  each  hole,  not  directly 
against  each  other,  but  against  the  "  Bogey ' 
score  for  the  hole,  and  they  win,  lose,  or 
halve  it  with  "  Colonel  Bogey,"  according 
as  their  respective  scores  are  better  or  worse 
than  or  equal  to  his.  The  player  who  is  most 
holesuporleastholesdown  to  "Colonel  Bogey" 
at  the  end  of  the  round  wins  the  match. 

Inter -Club  Matches — Inter-club 
matches  are  usually  played  by  teams  of 
varying  numbers,  representing  the  best 
players  in  each  club.  The  individual  mem- 
bers of  each  team  play  hole  matches  against 
each  other,  the  players  being  pitted  against 
each  other,  as  far  as  possible,  in  order  of 
merit.  At  the  end,  the  total  number  of 
holes  won  by  each  side  is  added  up,  and  the 
club  having  a  balance  in  its  favour  wins  the 
match.  Another,  and  perhaps  fairer,  method 
of  judging  the  result,  is  to  count  the  number 
of  individual  matches  won,  instead  of  the 
number  of  holes.  This  latter  method  sup- 
plies a  fairer  test  of  the  general  strength  of 
the  teams.  By  the  former  method  it  fre- 
quently happens  that  the  failure  of  one 
member  of  the  team  brings  defeat  to  his  side 


22  GOLF 

For  example,  suppose  two  clubs  play  a 
match  with  teams  of  six  a-side  with  the 
following  result  : — 

X  7 

A  ....  4  G  .                    o 

B  ....  i  H....O 

C  .     .     .     .  o  I   ....   10 

I)  ....  o  J   .          .     .     6 

E  ....  2  K .     .     .     .     o 

F....I  L....O 

8  16 

It  will  be  seen  that  though  the  X  team 
won  four  of  the  six  matches,  they  yet  lost  by 
eight  holes,  although  the  Z  team  only  gained 
two  matches  of  the  six. 

Club  Tournaments  are  played  on  the 
same  principle  as  the  Amateur  Championship 
competition.  The  competitors  are  drawn 
against  each  other  in  couples,  and  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  first  round,  the  winner 
of  the  first  couple  plays  against  the  winner 
of  the  second  couple,  for  their  places  in  the 
third  round,  and  so  on  until  the  final  stage  is 
reached,  the  survivor  of  which  is  the  ultimate 
winner. 

In  arranging  a  club  tournament  or  match 
of  this  nature,  it  frequently  happens  that  the 
number  of  entries  is  such  that,  by  drawing 


GOLF  23 

the  couples  together  in  the  usual  way,  it  will 
not  be  possible  to  conclude  the  tournament 
without  having  byes  right  up  to  the  final 
stages.  This  is  rightly  felt  to  be  unfair, 
and  in  such  a  case  the  Bagnall-Wild  system 
will  ensure  that  no  byes  will  occur  after  the 
first  round.1 

Medal  Play. — (See  special  rules  for  Medal 
Play). 

Medal  Play  is  the  method  of  playing  a 
match,  by  counting  the  number  of  strokes  re- 
quired for  the  whole  round,  without  reference 
to  the  number  of  individual  holes  lost  or  won. 
The  player  who  completes  the  round  in  the 
fewest  actual  strokes  is  the  winner,  if  it  be  a 
scratch  competition,  and  subject  to  his  allow- 
ance or  penalty  if  it  be  played  under  handi- 
cap. Ties  are  usually  settled  by  playing 
another  round. 

A  record  score  for  a  green  should  be  a 
score  played  under  medal  play,  and  not,  as 
too  often  happens,  a  score  compiled  by  a 
player  playing  a  hole  match. 

1  By  this  system,  after  the  competitors  have  been 
paired,  the  number  of  couples  (counting  the  odd  man,  if 
there  be  one,  as  a  couple)  is  subtracted  from  the  nearest 
higher  power  of  two,  and  the  number  forming  the  re- 
mainder is  the  number  of  byes. 


24  GOLF 

Handicapping — In  order  to  enable  an 
inferior  player  to  make  an  even  match  with  a 
superior,  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  receive 
points,  and  there  are  various  ways  of  doing 
this.  In  medal  play,  the  weaker  player 
simply  receives  a  given  number  of  strokes, 
which  are  deducted  from  his  score  at  the  end 
of  the  round.  This  same  method  is  the  usual 
one  employed  in  match  play,  subject  to 
certain  regulations  dealt  with  later. 

Another  method  is  for  one  player  to  con- 
cede the  other  a  given  number  of  strokes' 
which  may  be  used  singly  or  together  at  any 
hole  or  holes  at  the  discretion  of  the  receiver 
of  the  odds.  These  strokes  are  known  as 
"  bisques." 

Still  another  method  is  for  the  better  player 
to  allow  the  inferior  a  given  number  of  holes 
to  start  with.  For  example,  A  gives  B  three 
holes  of  a  start.  B  is  then  three  holes  up 
with  eighteen  to  play,  if  the  match  is  one  of 
eighteen  holes,  but  he  has  to  play  A  level 
throughout  the  entire  round.  A  has  thus  to 
beat  B  by  four  holes  on  the  round  to  win  the 
match. 

Medal  Play — For  club  competitions  the 
handicaps  of  the  members  are  settled  by  a 


GOLF  25 

committee,  who  usually  proceed  as  follows  : 
A  score  for  the  round  is  agreed  upon  as  a 
good  scratch  score,  say  80,  and  each  player 
who  is  below  scratch  form  receives  strokes 
sufficient  to  bring  his  average  score  down  to 
this  figure.  It  is  usual  to  compel  a  new 
member  of  a  club,  or  one  whose  play  is  not 
known,  to  hand  in  three  or  more  scores  for 
the  information  of  the  committee  before  he 
is  allowed  to  compete  for  a  prize,  and  upon 
the  average  of  these  scores  the  committee 

o 

decide  what  handicap  he  is  to  receive. 

It  is  well  to  make  the  outside  limit  of  all 
handicaps  in  club  competitions  18  strokes. 
By  this  means  overcrowding  on  competition 
days  is  avoided,  and  the  absurdity  of  having 
a  medal  carried  off  by  a  beginner  who  is  re- 
ceiving, as  sometimes  happens,  two  strokes  a 
hole  from  the  scratch  player  is  done  away  with. 

When  a  player  wins  a  prize,  if  his  score  be 
a  good  one,  his  handicap  should  be  reduced 
immediately  by  one  or  two  strokes,  as  the 
occasion  may  seem  to  demand,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  the  form  of  the  other  players 
must  be  watched  by  the  committee,  and  their 
handicaps  adjusted  from  time  to  time,  irre- 
spective of  their  winning  prizes. 


26  GOLF 

Should  a  scratch  player  be  found  to  be 
winning  too  many  handicap  prizes,  the  best 
plan  is  to  penalise  him  to  the  required  extent 
by  adding  to  his  actual  score.  Thus,  if  he  is 
penalised  three  strokes,  and  he  hands  in  a 
card  of  79,  his  score  would  read  79  +  3  =  82. 

This  saves  the  necessity  of  raising  the 
handicaps  of  all  the  rest  of  the  members. 

Match  Play — Reference  has  before  been 
made  to  one  or  two  methods  of  playing 
matches  under  handicap,  but  the  one  usually 
employed  in  club  competitions  is  as 
follows  : — 

The  handicaps  for  match  play  are  based  on 
the  number  of  strokes  received  in  medal 
play,  but  a  smaller  proportion  is  allowed  in 
match  play.  The  reason  for  this  has  been 
indicated  above  (see  Match  Play),  viz.,  that 
an  inferior  player  may  take  eight  to  a  hole 
which  his  opponent  does  in  three,  but  the 
latter  thereby  only  gains  one  hole,  and  not 
five  strokes,  as  he  would  in  medal  play. 

It  is  impossible  to  settle  absolutely  what 
the  proportionate  difference  should  be  in  the 
handicaps  of  players  for  medal  and  match 
play  respectively,  as  these  would  vary  with 
every  two  players.  For  the  purposes  of  club 


GOLF 


competitions,  however,  the  table  of  match 
play  odds  adopted  by  the  Royal  Wimbledon 
Golf  Club,  and  now  in  general  use,  which  is 
here  appended,  will  be  found  to  work  fairly 
satisfactorily. 

Table  of  Match  Play  Odds. 

In  singles,  three-fourths  of  difference  be- 
tween handicap  allowances. 

In  foursomes,  three-eighths  of  difference  be- 
tween the  aggregate  handicap  allowances  on 
either  side.  A  half-stroke  or  over,  both  in 
singles  and  foursomes,  shall  count  as  one. 
Smaller  fractions  count  as  nothing. 


Strokes  in 

Strokes  in 

Strokes  in 

d! 

o 

aJ 

V 

<J 

HI 

o 
p 

o 

s 

c 

<u 

Ui 

0 

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W) 

O 

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V 

c/J 

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"5) 

K 

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c 

3 
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1 

ta 

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Q 

w 

fe 

Q 

M 

fe 

5 

C/3 

fc< 

i 

I 

O 

13 

IO 

5 

25 

19 

9 

2 

2 

I 

14 

1  1 

5 

2J 

2O 

10 

3 

2 

I 

15 

II 

6 

27 

20 

IO 

4 

3 

2 

16 

12 

6 

28 

21 

II 

5 

4 

2 

17 

J3 

6 

29 

22 

II 

6 

5 

2 

18 

14 

7 

30 

23 

II 

7 

5 

3 

19 

14 

7 

31 

23 

12 

8 

6 

3 

20 

IS 

8 

32 

24 

12 

9 

7 

3 

21 

16 

8 

33 

25 

12 

10 

8 

4 

22 

17 

8 

34 

26 

13 

ii 

8 

4 

23 

17 

9 

35 

26 

13 

12 

9 

5 

24 

18 

9 

36 

•I 

14 

23  GOLF 

Thus,  in  a  single,  if  A's  handicap  is  2,  and 
B's  9,  the  difference  between  them  is  7,  f-  of 
7  is  5^,  or  5,  as  the  quarter  is  not  counted  ; 
5  is  thus  the  number  of  strokes  B  receives 
from  A. 

In  a  foursome,  A's  handicap  is  15,  and  B's 
4,  making  19,  and  their  opponents  C  and 
D  -f  2  and  14  respectively,  making  12.  The 
difference  between  them  is  7,  f  of  /  is  2§,  or 
three  strokes,  which  is  the  allowance  A  and 
B  receive. 

The  number  of  strokes  being  settled  in 
the  above  manner,  they  are  to  be  taken, 
should  they  exceed  or  be  less  than  18,  at  the 
holes  specified  in  the  club  table,  in  which  it 
is  clearly  set  forth.  If  the  strokes  to  be 
given  are  18,  one  is,  of  course,  taken  at  each 
hole.  If  more  or  less  than  18,  it  is  well  to 
have  the  table  arranged,  so  that,  as  far  as 
possible,  strokes  should  be  taken  at  the  more 
difficult  holes.  It  is  usual  to  print  this  table 
for  easy  reference  on  the  back  of  the  club 
scoring  card. 

STYLE. 

A  sardonic  observer  has  defined  golf  as 
consisting  in  striking  a  small  ball  into  a 


GOLF  2y 

succession  of  small  holes  with  instruments 
very  ill  adapted  for  the  purpose.  Though 
this  is  but  a  limited  definition,  it  is  strictly 
true  as  far  as  it  goes.  The  golf  club  is  not  a 
weapon  of  precision.  The  length  of  its  shaft, 
the  shortness  of  the  head,  and  its  exceedingly 
restricted  hitting  surface,  the  small  size  of 
the  ball,  the  inequalities  of  the  ground,  and 
the  state  of  the  weather,  are  all  matters  that 
make  a  successful  stroke  at  golf  most  difficult 
of  accomplishment.  Moreover,  it  is  not 
sufficient  to  hit  the  ball  with  the  correct 
strength  and  direction,  wherever  it  lies,  on 
the  proper  part  of  its  surface  ;  it  must  also 
be  hit  with  the  proper  part  of  the  club.  If 
both  these  things  are  not  done,  the  result, 
unless  favoured  by  luck,  will  be  failure. 

The  part  of  the  club  used  in  accurate 
striking  is  the  centre  of  the  face,  i.e.,  half- 
way between  the  sole  and  the  crown  of  the 
head,  and  half-way  between  the  toe  and  the 
heel.  The  ball  is  hit  correctly  with  the 
club  when  it  is  struck  on  the  centre  or  a  little 
below,  at  the  back  of  the  ball  ;  and  it  is  this 
spot,  and  not  the  top  of  the  ball,  that  the 
aim  should  be  taken  from,  and  the  eye  kept 
on,  in  the  process  of  striking.  These  two 


30  GOLF 

points,  then,  must  be  brought  in  contact,  if 
the  stroke  is  to  be  successful,  no  matter  how 
the  ball  lies,  except  in  the  case  of  sand,  &c., 
which  will  be  dealt  with  later ;  and  it  is 
towards  the  consistent  and  harmonious  ac- 
complishment of  this  object  that  a  golfer's 
style  should  be  built  up. 

As  the  best  players  all  exhibit  differences 
more  or  less  marked  in  the  matter  of  style,  it 
is  impossible  to  say,  except  perhaps  from  the 
aesthetic  point  of  view,  that  any  one  style  is 
more  correct  than  another.  The  measure  of 
the  excellence  of  any  particular  style  is  its 
consistent  success,  as  consistent  failure  must 
point  to  some  radical  defect  in  its  constitu- 
tion. It  must  further  be  observed  that  the 
divergences  in  style  amongst  good  players 
are  the  result,  not  of  any  essential  difference 
in  the  force  and  accuracy  with  which  the  club 
head  ultimately  reaches  the  ball,  but  in  thj 
manner  in  which  the  club  is  handled  to  attain 
these  objects.  Individual  idiosyncrasies  of 
stature,  strength,  and  temperament  are  suffi- 
cient to  account  for  these  differences;  and  the 
beginner,  in  trying  to  develop  a  good  style  of 
golf,  will  do  well  to  observe  the  points  where 
the  styles  of  good  players  will  be  found  to 


GOLF  3, 

agree,  and  to  pay  no  attention  to  the  un- 
important details  where  they  differ.  Style 
may  be  said  to  cover  the  player's  grip,  or 
grasp  of  the  club,  his  stance,  and  his  manner 
of  swinging. 

Grip — The  grip  of  the  club  is  a  most 
important  matter,  as  on  it  depends  largely 
the  command  obtained  over  the  club  durino- 

O 

the  process  of  swinging. 

Until  recently,  when  golf  became  popular 
in  England,  there  was,  speaking  generally, 
but  one  recognised  way  of  holding  and  swing- 
ing a  golf  club.  It  is  true  that  there  were  what 
have  been  called  "  the  opposing  schools  of  St. 
Andrews  and  Musselburgh,"  but  the  differ- 
ence in  their  practice  in  this  respect  was 
practically  nil,  and  any  other  differences  that 
existed  between  them  were  the  result  either 
of  the  natural  rivalry  between  two  great 
golfing  centres,  or  due  to  the  different 
character  of  the  two  greens,  each  of  which 
favoured  the  practice  of  certain  kinds  of  shots 
more  than  others.  But  of  late  years  in 
England  a  class  of  golfers  has  sprung  up, 
born  and  bred  altogether  outside  the  old 
golfing  traditions  ;  men  whose  traditions  are 
all  of  cricket,  and  to  whom,  perforce,  a  golf 


32  GOLF 

club  is  but  a  kind  of  bat  wherewith  to  hit  the 
ball.  With  this  view  of  the  matter,  these 
players  have  developed  a  method  of  holding 
the  club  and  hitting  the  ball  which,  while  it 
has  in  a  few  cases  met  with  success,  is  not 


CRICKET  GRIP. 


one  that  can  be  recommended  for  the  adop- 
tion of  beginners.  The  grip  for  this  hitting 
or  cricketing  method  of  using  a  golf  club  may 
be  dismissed  shortly.  It  requires  great 
strength  of  hand,  wrist,  and  forearm,  and  the 


GOLF 


33 


club  is  gripped  tightly  with  the  palms  of  the 
hand,  the  fingers  holding  firmly,  the  back  of 
the  right  hand  being  kept  well  under,  as 
shown  in  the  illustration.  For  the  proper  or 
swinging  method  of  using  a  golf  club,  a 


PROPER  GRIP. 


correct  grip  is  of  the  first  importance,  and 
the  hold  is  not  so  much  a  grip  as  a  grasp. 
The  club  should  be  held  firmly,  but  not 
tightly,  with  the  fingers  of  both  hands  equally, 
the  handle  resting  on  the  part  of  the  palm 

c 


34  GOLF 

just  below  the  fingers,  and  not  gripped  with 
the  hollow  of  the  palms.  The  hands  should 
touch  each  other,  and  the  thumbs  should  lie 
over  the  handle  of  the  club  in  an  oblique 
direction,  and  not  point  down  it.  By  this 
means  the  club  will  have  the  requisite  play  in 
the  hands  during  the  process  of  swinging  ; 
for  it  must  be  observed  that,  in  swinging,  the 
palms  open  out  as  the  club  is  swung  back- 
ward, so  that  it  is  gripped  at  the  top  of  the 
swing  practically  by  the  fingers  alone.  As 
the  club  descends  again,  the  palms  close  on 
it,  and  the  stroke  is  delivered  with  the  hands 
as  shown  in  the  illustration.  To  hold  on 
tightly  with  the  same  immovable  grip  all 
through  would  check  the  swing,  and  prevent 
the  club  describing  the  true  arc  in  the  air 
which  is  essential  to  accurate  and  far  hitting. 
The  grip,  or  the  manner  of  it,  should  not 
vary  with  different  strokes,  and  as  a  matter 
of  style,  a  player  should  endeavour,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  make  all  the  various  strokes  in 
his  play,  in  regard  to  grip,  stance,  and  swing, 
in  the  same  way.  His  half  shot  should  be  a 
part  or  segment  of  his  full  shot,  his  quarter 
shot  like  part  of  his  half  shot,  and  his  putt 
but  a  smaller  stroke  in  the  same  manner. 


GOLF 


35 


Nothing  looks  worse  or  is  more  fatal  to 
good  and  consistent  golf  than  for  a  player 
to  have  a  different  grip  and  stance  for  his 
various  strokes  ;  to  play,  for  example,  his  full 
shots  off  the  left  leg  and  his  quarter  shots  off 


J.  II.  TAYLOR'S  GRIP.     TOP  OF  SWING. 

the  right,  or  to  stand  more  or  less  erect  for 
his  full  strokes  and  to  huddle  himself  into  a 
heap  when  playing  an  approach.  The  part 
of  the  handle  to  be  gripped  will  depend  en- 
tirely upon  the  manner  of  swinging  adopted 

c  2 


36  GOLF 

by  the  player.  If  the  swing  be  long,  more 
command  will  be  obtained  over  the  club  by 
holding  it  near  the  top  of  the  leather,  if  the 
swing  be  short,  or,  if  the  hitting  or  cricketing 
method  be  employed,  it  will  be  found  that  a 
shorter  grip  will  be  the  more  serviceable. 

Stance — The  position  of  the  player's  feet 
relative  to  each  other,  their  distance  apart, 
and  the  distance  of  the  ball  from  each,  de- 
pend on  a  variety  of  considerations,  and  it  is 
impossible  to  lay  down  any  hard  and  fast 
rule  in  these  respects.  The  best  players  ex- 
hibit wide  differences  in  the  matter  of  stance, 
but  these  are  entirely  due  to  differences  in 
stature,  length  ojf  reach,  and  the  length  of 
club  used.  As  a  general  rule,  however,  it 
will  be  found  that  the  player  has  most  com- 
mand over  the  ball  if  he  stand  so  that  it  lies 
opposite  him  at  a  point  nearer  his  left  foot 
than  his  right.  The  player  should  stand 
easily,  facing  the  ball,  his  legs  apart,  but  not 
too  much  straddled,  with  his  toes  slightly 
pointed  outwards,  at  such  a  distance  from 
the  ball  that  he  can  reach  it  comfortably  by 
placing  the  club  head  behind  the  ball,  and 
by  holding  the  handle  opposite  the  middle 
of  his  body,  with  the  arms  slightly  bent 


GOLF  37 

outwards.  His  position  should  not  be  so 
far  away  from  the  ball  that  he  has  to  reach 
forward  in  order  to  hit  it,  nor  so  close  that  his 
motions  are  cramped  in  the  act  of  striking  it. 
It  is  not  of  importance  whether  the  feet  are 
placed  in  a  line  with  the  ball  or  whether  the 
right  or  left  foot  be  slightly  advanced,  as 
the  best  players  exhibit  all  these  variations. 
The  important  matter  is  to  take  up,  as  far  as 
the  nature  of  the  ground  and  the  length  of 
the  club  will  permit,  the  same  stance  for  each 
stroke.  If  a  player  is  constantly  changing 
his  stance,  it  will  have  an  absolutely  fatal 
effect  on  his  play,  and  will  be  the  most 
fruitful  cause  of  heeling,  toeing,  slicing  and 
topping  the  ball 

Swing — For  all  balls  that  lie  fairly  on  tne 
turf,  tee-shots  of  course  included,  the  player 
will  do  well  at  the  outset  to  think  of  the 
course  to  be  described  in  the  air  by  his  club 
head  during  the  stroke,  as  a  circle  or  segment 
of  a  circle.  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  it 
is  meant  that  the  club  head  must  describe 
with  geometrical  accuracy  a  segment  of  a 
circle,  if  the  stroke  is  to  be  a  correct  one  ; 
but  simply  that  the  course  described  by  a 
club  head,  when  the  club  is  truly  swung, 


3 8  GOLF 

more  nearly  resembles  a  circle  than  any 
other  geometrical  figure.  With  this  view  of 
his  swing  clearly  in  his  mind,  it  will  be  ob- 
vious to  the  player  that,  to  strike  the  ball 
fairly,  the  club  face  must  reach  it  when  the 
head  is  at  the  lowest  point  of  its  circumfer- 
ence ;  that  is,  after  it  has  ceased  to  be  de- 
scribing its  downward  course  and  before  it 
has  commenced  its  upward.  If  this  be 
not  done,  the  stroke  must  be  more  or  less 
missed,  and  the  player  must  so  arrange  his 
stance  as  to  ensure,  if  he  swing  accurately, 
that  the  club  face  will  find  the  ball  in  the 
right  place  when  it  descends. 

Addressing  the  Ball — In  taking  aim 
or  addressing  the  ball,  it  is  the  almost  in- 
variable practice  to  pass  or  flourish  the  club 
head  a  few  times  backwards  and  forwards 
over  the  top  of  the  ball,  in  the  direction  of  the 
proposed  stroke.  This  is  called  the  "  waggle," 
and  has  for  its  object  the  freeing  of  the  wrists 
and  arms,  and  of  ensuring  that  the  club  lies 
properly  in  the  hands.  In  addition,  it  is 
essential  after  the  waggle  to  rest  the  club 
head  for  a  moment  on  the  ground  close 
behind  the  ball,  in  the  exact  position  in 
which  the  player  wishes  it  to  return  on  the 


GOLF 


ball.  To  do  otherwise,  as,  for  example,  to 
place  the  toe  or  heel  of  the  club  opposite  the 
ball,  to  place  the  club  on  the  ground  alto- 
gether clear  of  the  ball,  or  not  to  ground  it  at 


JOHN  BALL,  JUNR.    FULL  SWING. 

all,  is  to  court  failure.  If  any  of  these  eccen- 
tricities be  indulged  in,  the  difficulties  of 
the  stroke  are  enormously  increased,  as  the 
player,  after,  as  it  were,  leaving  the  rails  to 


40  GOLF 

start  with,  has  to  find  them  again  before 
reaching  the  ball,  with  consequent  loss  of 
force  and  great  risk  of  inaccuracy. 

The  ball  having  been  addressed  in  accord- 
ance with  the  foregoing  instructions,  the 
waggle,  which  must  not  be  unduly  prolonged, 
satisfactorily  accomplished,  and  the  aim 
taken,  the  next  consideration  is  the  swing- 
ing of  the  club. 

As  the  swing  is  to  be  circular,  the  club 
head  must  be  made  to  pursue  the  same  orbit 
in  the  upward  swing  as  in  the  downward,  if 
the  maximum  of  force  and  accuracy  is  to  be 
attained,  and  all  the  motions  of  the  hands, 
wrists,  arms,  and  legs  used  in  the  upward 
swing  will  be  simply  reversed  as  the  club 
comes  downwards. 

In  commencing  the  upward  swing  there 
should  be  no  swaying  of  the  body  to  the 
right  side,  nor  should  the  swing  of  the  club 
be  commenced  by  pulling  the  hands  to  the 
right  in  advance  of  the  club  head,  as  this  will 
throw  the  swing  out  of  gear  at  its  commence- 
ment. The  club  should  be  swept  backwards 
and  gradually  upwards  evenly  and  without 
jerk,  the  shoulders  turning  round  as  the  club 
rises  till  it  is  well  over  the  neck  or  right 


GOLF  41 

shoulder.  The  wrist  and  elbows  will  bend, 
following  the  upward  motion  of  the  club,  and 
the  grip  open,  as  before  indicated,  as  the 


JOHN  BALL,  JUNR.     FULL  SWING. 

club  reaches  the  top  of  the  swing.  The  back- 
bone must  be  kept  as  rigid  as  possible  and 
used  as  a  pivot,  round  which  the  shoulders 
must  work  in  making  the  swing.  The  head 


42  GOLF 

must  also  be  kept  steady,  and  the  eye  firmly 
fixed  on  the  ball. 

As  the  club  is  swung  upwards  the  player 
will  gradually  transfer  his  weight,  which  in 
addressing  the  ball  rests  on  both  legs  equally, 
to  the  right  leg,  his  left  knee  turning  inwards 
and  his  left  heel  rising  in  response  to  the 
turning  of  his  shoulders  as  the  club  goes 
round.  As  has  been  said,  the  downward 
swing  is  an  exact  reversal  of  all  these  mo- 
tions. There  should  be  no  pause  at  the 
top  of  the  swing.  The  upward  swing  and 
the  downward  are  one  act  and  should  be 
as  harmonious  and  continuous  as  possible 
in  every  respect.  A  great  deal  of  nonsense 
has  been  written  and  talked  about  the  neces- 
sity of  swinging  "  slow-back,"  and  the  curious 
thing  is  that  the  very  players  who  are  respon- 
sible for  the  dictum  are  themselves  notorious 
for  the  rapidity  with  which  they  swing  the 
club  both  backwards  and  forwards.  The 
truth  is  that,  so  long  as  it  returns  on  the  ball 
faster  than  it  went  up,  and  the  balance  is 
maintained,  the  club  cannot  be  taken  too  fast 
back,  This  holds  true  with  regard  to  all 
golfing  strokes.  Even  on  the  putting-green, 
the  backward  movement  of  the  club  should  be 


GOLF  43 

of  the  same  nature  as  the  forward,  and  the 
ball  should  not  be  struck  with  any  sudden  or 
jerky  motion, 

Up  to  a  certain  point,  in  a  full  shot,  the 
longer  the  swing,  the  better,  as  the  larger  the 
circumference  described  by  the  club  head  the 
greater  momentum  will  it  gather  before  it 
reaches  the  ball  ;  but  care  must  be  taken 
that  the  club  is  not  swung  so  far  round  that 
the  balance  is  lost  and  force  expended 
uselessly  in  recovering  it. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  stroke  is 
finished  when  the  club  head  has  reached  the 
ball,  as  both  force  and  direction  are  imparted 
by  what  is  technically  known  as  the  "  follow 
through."  The  arms  and  shoulders  following 
the  direction  of  the  swing  are,  as  it  were, 
thrown  after  the  ball,  and,  the  body  turning 
round  as  the  club  descends,  its  weight  is  also 
thrown  in,  and  the  player  at  the  end  of  the 
swing  is  facing  the  direction  in  which  the 
ball  has  flown,  the  club  going  up  over  his 
left  shoulder.  The  player  should  have  the 
habit,  so  important  is  this  "  following 
through,"  of  regarding  the  ball  merely  as  a 
point  through  which  the  club  head  is  to  pass 
in  the  course  of  its  circuit,  and  not  a  point 


44  GOLF 

where  it  is  to  be  arrested.  Another  im- 
portant matter  to  be  noticed  is  that  the  club 
is  swung  at  that  angle  round  the  shoulders 
which  gives  the  player  most  command  over 
it  both  for  direction  and  distance.  It  must 
not  be  swung  at  too  upright  an  angle,  which 
will  be  found  to  prevent  the  player  getting 
the  weight  of  his  body  into  the  stroke,  nor 
must  it  be  swung  too  low  round  the  body,  as 
this  will  cramp  the  player's  motions  and 
prevent  the  free  use  of  his  arms.  Con- 
sistently with  getting  the  weight  of  the  body 
into  the  swing,  a  high  or  perpendicular 
swing  is  better  than  a  low  or  more  horizontal 
one. 

Various  Kinds  of  "  Lies  "  -When  a 
ball  has  been  struck  from  the  tee,  the  variety 
of  places  where  it  may  ultimately  rest  await- 
ing the  next  stroke  is  infinite.  If  it  be  hit 
fairly  and  on  the  proper  line  it  should  lie 
fairly  well,  but  if  topped  or  hit  to  the  right 
or  left  of  the  course,  "  grief,"  in  the  shape  of 
a  bunker  or  other  hazard,  will  probably  be 
its  portion. 

The  method  of  hitting  a  ball  that  lies 
fairly  on  the  turf,  not  being  in  any  kind  of 
hollow,  is  the  same  as  for  the  tee  stroke. 


GOLF  45 

There  is  no  necessity  to  hit  the  ground  with 
the  club  in  striking  the  ball,  as  this  can  only 
check  the  force  of  the  blow  and  most 
probably  will  have  the  effect  of  sending  the 
ball  in  a  contrary  direction  to  what  was 
intended.  On  the  best  of  links,  however, 
there  are  numerous  small  indentations  on 
the  sward,  into  which  a  golf  ball  frequently 
rolls,  and  a  lie  of  this  kind  demands  for  its 
proper  negotiation  a  considerable  modification 
of  the  method  used  in  hitting  a  fair  lying 
ball.  If  the  cup  is  only  a  slight  one,  the 
driver  is  the  club  to  use,  but  if  it  be  at  all 
deep  the  brassy  or  cleek,  with  their  slightly 
sloped  faces,  will  be  found  of  more  service. 
The  stand  should  be  taken  with  the  ball  a 
shade  nearer  the  right  foot  than  usual,  and 
the  club  gripped  a  little  more  firmly.  It 
will  be  obvious  that  were  the  swing  used  in 
playing  a  fair  lying  ball  to  be  employed,  the 
ball  would  be  either  partially  topped  and 
driven  into  the  far  side  of  the  cup,  or  the 
ground  would  be  hit  by  the  club  head  before 
it  reached  the  ball,  and  its  force  checked. 
To  avoid  this,  it  is  necessary  to  play  the 
stroke  with  a  more  downward  swing,  so  as  to 
slip  the  club  face  in  between  the  back  of  the 


46  GOLF 

cup  and  the  ball.  The  "  follow-through  "  in 
this  case  goes  into  the  ground,  but  the  ground 
is  not  touched  by  the  club  head  till  the  ball 
is  away.  The  slope  on  the  face  of  the  club, 
if  the  ball  be  truly  hit,  will  raise  it  over  the 
opposing  slope  of  the  cup,  and  a  long  shot 
will  be  the  result.  This  stroke  is  called  a 
"jerk." 

A  ball  that  lies  fairly  and  not  cupped  on 
a  slope  towards  the  hole  is  known  as  a 
"  hanging-ball,"  and  should  be  played  in  the 
same  way,  with  the  exception,  of  course,  that 
the  club  head  does  not  strike  the  ground  at 
all  after  the  ball  has  been  hit. 

It  frequently  happens  that  a  ball  rests 
on  a  slope,  either  above  or  below  the  player. 
In  both  cases  the  sole  of  the  club,  in  taking 
aim,  must  be  grounded  squarely  with  the 
slope.  If  the  ball  lies  above  the  player, 
the  club  should  be  held  shorter,  and,  if  below 
him,  allowance  must  be  made  for  pulling  the 
ball,  which  is  in  this  case  very  difficult  to 
avoid. 

If  a  ball  lies  in  thick  bents,  rushes,  or 
long  grass,  a  niblick  or  heavy  mashie  is 
the  best  club  to  use,  as  their  weight  enables 
them  to  cut  through  the  grass  better,  and 


GOLF 


47 


they  present  less  surface  for  the  grasses  to 
catch  on  than  the  longer  faced  clubs. 

Balls  in  Sand — When  a  ball  lies  in  a 
sand  bunker  the  first  consideration  for  the 
player  should  be,  "  Shall  I  play  it  backwards, 
or  sideways  on  to  the  grass,  or  try  to  get 
it  over  the  face  of  the  bunker  nearer  the 
hole  ?  "  and  the  nature  of  the  lie,  the  width 
of  the  bunker,  and  the  distance  and  height  of 
the  opposing  face  will  decide  his  choice.  If 
the  ball  lie  close  under  or  near  the  opposing 
face,  he  will  have  no  alternative  but  to  play 
it  out  to  one  side  or  the  other.  Unless  it  be 
very  much  buried,  however,  and  if  the  face 
to  be  lofted  over  is  not  too  near,  the  ball 
may  be  extricated  in  a  forward  direction. 
A  firm  downward  and  slightly  forward  stroke 
with  a  niblick  or  heavy  mashie  on  the  sand 
immediately  behind  the  ball,  on  which  spot, 
and  not  on  the  ball,  the  eye  must  be  fixed, 
will  cause  the  ball  to  spout  upward  and 
forward.  Sometimes  a  ball  is  found  actually 
teed  in  a  bunker,  in  which  case,  of  course, 
any  club  may  be  used  that  will  take  the  ball 
the  required  distance.  Great  care  must  be 
taken  with  these  shots,  however,  as  to  be 
successful  the  ball  must  be  picked  off  quite 


48  GOLF 

clean,  and  it  must  also  be  remembered  that 
it  is  not  permissible  to  ground  the  club 
before  striking. 

When  the  ground  is  hard,  a  ball  may 
sometimes  lie  close  to,  and  in  front  of,  a 
steep  hazard,  such  as  a  hedge  or  fence,  in 
a  deep  cup  or  heel  mark.  To  loft  such  a 
ball  over  the  hazard  looks  a  hopeless  task, 
but  it  may  be  very  simply  effected.  It  is 
only  necessary  to  strike  it  sharply  downwards 
against  the  opposing  side  of  the  cup  with  an 
iron  putter,  when  it  will  jump  upwards  and 
forwards  over  the  obstacle.  The  face  of  the 
putter  must  be  held  downwards,  and  care 
must  be  taken  that  the  ball,  in  rebounding, 
does  not  strike  the  player  or  his  club. 

Approaching  and  Putting — The  term 
"  approach  "  is  applied  to  all  shots  with  iron 
clubs  that  are  intended  to  reach  the  putting 
green,  and  it  need  hardly  be  said  that  in 
playing  an  approach  the  player's  object 
should  be  to  lay  the  ball  as  near  the  hole  as 
possible,  and  with  luck,  to  hole  it. 

For  approach  shots  of  from  80  to  150 
yards,  or  thereby,  it  used  to  be  common  to 
take  what  were  known  as  half-shots  with 
various  clubs.  A  half-shot  is  a  shot  played 


GOLF 


49 


with  a  half-swing.  This,  however,  is  an 
extremely  difficult  stroke  to  master  or  to 
play  consistently,  and  nowadays,  when  cleeks, 


JOHN  BALL,  JUNR.    APPROACHING. 

mashies,  and  irons  are  made  with  all  degrees 
of  loft,  it  is  only  an  unnecessary  complication 
of  the  game.  A  full  approach  shot  with 
a  lofted  club  is  much  more  easy  to  play  than 


D 


50  GOLF 

a  half-shot  with  a  straighter  faced  club,  for 
the  reason  that  in  the  former  the  player  is 
only  concerned  with  hitting  the  ball  clean 
and  straight,  whereas  in  the  latter,  he  has 
also  to  think  what  strength  he  must  use 
to  reach  the  required  distance.  Once  the 
art  of  hitting  truly  with  an  iron  club  is 
acquired,  full  shots  with  either  cleek,  mashie, 
or  iron  should  present  no  difficulty,  and  it 
is  only  when  the  approach  is  shorter,  say 
from  80  to  100  yards,  and  full  strokes  are  no 
longer  possible,  that  difficulty  will  be  experi- 
enced. These  shorter  approaches  are  often 
called  quarter-shots,  on  the  same  principle 
as  half  shots,  to  indicate  that  a  quarter-swing 
is  used  in  playing  them. 

The  stance  for  an  approach  shot  is  of  the 
same  nature  as  for  any  other,  though  the  ball 
may  be  a  little  more  opposite  the  middle  of 
the  fork,  and  of  course  the  shorter  handle  of 
the  iron  club  will  necessitate  a  stance  some- 
what nearer  the  ball. 

The  player  must  stand  firmly  on  his  feet, 
which,  together  with  his  legs,  must  on  no 
account  be  moved,  and  the  shot  is  played 
with  the  arms  and  wrists  alone,  the  body 
being  kept  as  steady  as  possible. 


GOLF  51 

For  wrist  shots  the  player  may  permit 
himself  a  more  exuberant  waggle  than  for 
full  shots,  as  this  will  ensure  the  wrists  being 


JOHN  BALL,  JUNR.    APPROACHING. 

kept  free.  The  grip  should  be  firm,  so  that 
the  muscles  of  the  fore  arm  are  taut,  and  the 
ball  should  be  struck  sharply.  In  this  stroke, 
the  right  should  be  the  master  arm  and  the  left 

D  ? 


52  GOLF 

only  used  to  steady  the  club  and  help  to  bear 
its  weight.  If  there  be  much  pitch  on  the 
face  of  the  iron  or  mashie,  it  will  be  almost 
necessary  to  take  a  little  turf  in  making  a 
quarter-stroke,  even  if  the  ball  lie  well,  for 
it  will  be  found  that,  unless  this  is  done,  the 
ball  will  be  struck  with  the  lower  part  of  the 
face,  and  consequently  will  not  be  lofted 
sufficiently.  Some  of  the  best  players  in- 
variably take  a  good  deal  of  turf,  no  matter 
how  the  ball  lies,  but  it  must  be  pointed  out 
that  if  this  shot  be  played  accurately,  the 
piece  of  turf  cut  out  by  the  iron  is  the  piec^ 
immediately  under  and  in  front  of  the  ball, 
and  not  the  turf  behind  it,  and  that  the  ball 
is  struck,  if  not  first,  at  any  rate  simultane- 
ously with  the  ground.  It  is  of  course  evident 
that  these  shots  can  only  be  played  where  the 
ground  is  more  or  less  soft. 

It  is  sometimes  desirable  to  make  the  ball 
stop  as  dead  as  possible  after  it  reaches  the 
ground,  as,  for  instance,  if  the  hole  be  close 
to  the  edge  of  a  bunker ;  and  this  may  be 
done  in  two  ways,  either  by  putting  cut  on 
it  or  by  imparting  a  back-spin  to  it  which  will 
counteract  its  forward  motion. 

Cut  is  put  on  the  ball  by  drawing  the  arms 


GOLF  53 

in,  and  the  face  of  the  club  across  the  ball  in 
the  act  of  striking.  This  has  the  effect  of 
putting  a  right-hand  spin  or  slice  on  the  ball, 
and  due  allowance  must  be  made  for  this  in 
deciding  the  line  to  the  hole.  Back- spin  is 
imparted  in  a  similar  way,  but  the  swing  is 
of  a  downward  nature,  and  the  ball  is  struck 
by  the  face  of  the  iron  as  it  crashes  down  into 
the  turf.  Both  these  strokes  are  of  extreme 
difficulty,  though  the  latter,  as  it  permits  the 
player  to  play  straight  at  the  hole,  is  perhaps 
the  easier  and  more  advisable.  If  the  ground 

o 

be  at  all  hard,  and  there  are  no  hazards  in- 
tervening, it  is  always  better  to  play  an  ap- 
proach by  running  the  ball  up  with  a  straight- 
faced  club,  such  as  a  cleek  or  putter.  On 
hard  ground,  apart  from  the  difficulty  of 
hitting  accurately  with  a  lofting  club,  the  ball 
is  much  more  likely  to  be  deflected  from  its 
course  on  alighting,  than  when  it  is  run  along 
the  ground.  There  is  an  idea  that  it  is  not 
sportsmanlike  to  use  a  putter  for  these  shots. 
Nothing  could  be  more  ridiculous.  The 
object  of  an  approach  is  to  get  the  ball  as 
near  the  hole  as  possible,  and  the  best 
club  to  use  is  the  one  that  will  achieve  this 
most  successfully  and  consistently. 


54  GOLF 

Putting — It  is  commonly  said  that  matches 
are  won  or  lost  on  the  putting-green,  and 
experience  certainly  bears  out  the  remark. 
It  will  not  be  contended  that  putting  is  more 
difficult  than  any  other  branch  of  the  game, 
for  there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  as  a  general 
rule,  between  good  and  bad  players  is  there 
less  difference  on  the  putting-green  than  any- 
where else.  But  probably  the  explanation 
lies  in  the  fact  that  there  is  no  part  of  his 
game  in  which  a  player  goes  off  more  com- 
pletely than  his  putting. 

He  will  consistently  hole  out  two-yard  putts 
one  day,  and  the  next  as  persistently  miss 
those  of  a  foot,  and  be  quite  unable  to  account 
for  his  failure. 

Without  an  "  infinite  capacity  for  taking 
pains  "  a  man  will  never  be  a  good  putter.  A 
player  cannot  begin  to  study  his  putt  too 
soon.  Even  for  the  approach  shot,  unless  it 
is  a  very  long  one,  he  should  first  of  all  go 
forward  and  examine  the  ground,  so  as  to 
select  the  spot  for  his  ball  to  pitch  on  that 
will  give  him  the  best  putt  for  the  hole.  The 
ball  having  been  played  on  to  the  putting- 
green,  if  it  is  still  some  yards  from  the  hole, 
it  is  well,  before  approaching  the  ball,  to  walk 


GOLF 


55 


first  to  the  hole  and  examine  the  geography 
in  its  immediate  neighbourhood.  A  putting- 
green  is  not  flat  like  a  billiard  table,  and  even 


JOHN  BALL,  JUNR.    PUTTING. 


the  best  of  them  have  their  differences  of 
surface,  one  part  being  keen  and  smooth,  and 
another  stiff  and  rough,  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  grass.  Then  there  are  the  un- 


56  GOLF 

dulations  and  slopes  of  the  ground  which  will 
have  their  effect  on  the  ball  as  it  travels  to- 
wards the  hole.  But  more  particularly,  in  a 
long  putt,  the  ball  will  be  travelling  slowest, 
if  it  has  strength  to  reach  the  hole,  in  the 
last  yard  or  so,  and  it  will  consequently  be 
then  that  it  will  be  most  affected  by  any  in- 
equalities or  irregularities  on  the  green.  The 
line  that  the  player  will  ultimately  select  to 
play  the  ball  at  the  hole  will  therefore  be 
determined  chiefly  by  the  character  of  this 
last  crucial  yard  or  thereby,  and  those  few 
feet  of  turf  ought  to  be  the  first  object  of  his 
consideration  in  studying  a  putt.  When  this 
examination  has  been  made,  the  player 
should  walk  slowly  to  his  ball,  removing  any 
loose  obstacles  from  the  line  likely  to  deflect 
it  from  its  course,  and  taking  a  mental  note  of 
any  other  facts  likely  to  influence  it,  but 
bearing  in  mind  that  the  higher  rate  of  speed 
at  which  the  ball  will  be  travelling  at  its 
start,  will  minimise  considerably  any  inequali- 
ties of  the  green  that  may  there  exist. 

Having  arrived  at  his  ball,  the  player 
should  get  behind  it  and  survey  the  ground 
to  be  traversed  from  that  position  ;  for  it  is 
from  the  ball  to  the  hole  that  the  line  must 


GOLF  57 

be  taken,  and  not  from  the  hole  to  the  ball. 
The  information  gathered  from  his  examina- 


J.  II.  TAYLOR.    PUTTING. 


tion  of  the  ground  near  the  hole  is  only  to  be 
applied  to  modify  his  opinion  of  the  line  after 


58  GOLF 

he  has  arrived  at  his  ball.  If  he  has  also 
studied  the  line  from  the  hole  to  the  ball,  he 
will  most  probably  only  confuse  his  mind 
with  two  quite  distinct  lines.  He  will  now 
determine  the  strength  with  which  it  will  be 
necessary  to  hit  the  ball,  to  enable  it  to 
reach  the  hole,  by  travelling  on  the  selected 
line,  and  thereafter  address  himself  to  the 
ball. 

The  stance  for  putting,  as  before  indicated, 
should  be  of  the  same  nature  as  for  other 
strokes,  except  that  as  the  putter  is  more  up- 
right and  shorter  in  the  shaft  than  other 
clubs,  it  will  be  necessary  to  stand  more  over 
the  ball.  The  player  should  not  stoop  low 
over  his  putt  nor  straddle  his  legs  too  much. 
It  is  a  good  and  useful  plan  to  place  the  head 
of  the  putter  in  front  of  the  ball,  and  then 
behind  it,  searching  in  this  manner  to  get  the 
head  of  the  putter  absolutely  at  right-angles 
to  the  projected  line  of  the  putt,  but  in  doing 
this,  care  must  be  taken  that  the  ball  be  not 
moved.  In  a  long  putt,  if  there  be  any 
point  half  or  three-quarters  way  to  the  hole, 
on  the  direct  line,  which  is  marked  by  a  daisy 
or  can  otherwise  be  remarked  from  the  ball, 
it  will  simplify  matters  very  much  if  the 


GOLF  59 

player  plays  his  ball  for  that  point,  giving  the 
ball,  of  course,  the  requisite  strength  to  reach 
the  hole. 

The  club  being  firmly  grasped  in  the  usual 
way,  the  aim  taken,  and  the  eye  firmly  fixed 
on  the  back  of  the  ball,  it  should  not  be 
allowed  to  wander  off  again  to  the  hole  before 
striking,  but  the  club  should  immediately  be 
drawn  backwards,  and  returned  on  the  ball 
at  the  same  angle,  and  with  the  required 
strength.  Great  care  must  be  taken  to  aim 
with  the  very  centre  of  the  putter.  A  ball 
struck  on  the  toe  or  heel  of  the  club  will  not 
run  straight  any  distance. 

If  the  green  be  at  all  rough,  a  putter  with 
its  face  slightly  set  back  will  be  found  to  keep 
the  ball  in  a  truer  course.  With  an  abso- 
lutely perpendicular  face  there  is  a  tendency, 
unless  the  green  be  very  smooth,  for  the  ball 
to  be  deflected  at  its  start.  The  lofted  face 
enables  the  player  to  start  the  ball  straight, 
as  it  will  be  slightly  lofted  for  the  first  foot  or 
so.  In  shorter  putts,  to  which  the  line  is 
straight,  the  ball  should  be  played  firmly  for 
the  back  of  the  hole.  If  the  player  aims  at 
the  near  lip,  the  chances  are  that  the  ball 
either  "  lingers  shivering  on  the  brink  "  and 


60  GOLF 

does  not  go  in,  or  rolls  off  to  one  side  or  the 
other  before  reaching. 

To  take  too  long  over  a  putt  is  as  grave  an 
error  as  to  hurry  it.  Everything,  however, 
should  be  done  carefully  and  deliberately, 
and  the  player,  having  made  up  his  mind 
as  to  the  strength  and  direction,  should 
hit  the  ball  confidently,  always  bearing  in 
mind  the  putter's  golden  maxim,  "  Never 
up,  never  in." 

It  sometimes  happens  that  the  player  who 
is  furthest  from  the  hole  plays  his  ball,  which 
does  not  go  in,  but  gets  between  the  hole  and 
his  opponent's  ball.  If  it  rests  less  than  six 
inches  from  the  other's  ball,  it  has  to  be  lifted 
till  the  other  is  played.  If  more  than  six 
inches,  it  is  called  a  "  Stymie,"  and  there  are 
two  ways  of  negotiating  it,  viz.,  either  by 
playing  round  the  obstructing  ball,  or  by 
lofting  over  it.  To  play  round  it,  unless 
favoured  by  the  lie  of  the  ground,  is  ex- 
tremely difficult,  and  must  be  done  by  putting 
on  spin  or  cut,  either  with  the  toe  or  heel  of 
the  putter.  The  lofting  shot  is  also  a  very 
delicate  stroke.  It  must  be  played  with  a 
firm  wrist,  from  a  well-lofted  mashie  or  iron, 
and  not  too  strongly. 


GOLF  61 

Topping,  Duffing,  Sclaffing,  Heeling, 
Toeing,  Pulling,  and  Slicing — Having 
considered  heretofore  the  various  ways  of 
playing  golf  strokes  correctly,  it  will  now  be 
necessary  to  deal  with  the  various  vices  or 
faults  into  which  players  fall.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  failing  to  hit  the  ball  at  all,  or 
"  missing  the  globe,"  as  it  is  termed,  the 
above  list  forms  a  complete  catalogue  of  the 
seven  deadly  golfing  sins. 

Topping,  as  its  name  implies,  consists  in 
striking  the  ball  on  the  top,  with  the  lower 
edge  of  the  club  face,  whereby  an  ugly  gash 
is  inflicted  on  the  ball's  surface,  and  it  travels 
along  the  ground  but  a  short  distance.  This 
is  one  of  the  most  distressing  maladies  from 
which  the  golfer's  game  suffers,  and  its  causes 
may  be  manifold.  A  firm  determination  to 
keep  the  eye  on  the  back  of  the  ball,  and  not 
on  the  top,  and  a  little  attention  to  stance, 
will  usually  correct  it. 

Duffing— The  verb  "to  duff"  does  not 
mean,  as  might  at  first  appear  probable,  to 
play  as  a  "  duffer  "  or  hopelessly  bad  player, 
but  simply  to  hit  the  ground  first,  behind  the 
ball,  so  that  the  ball  is  struck  with  the  upper 
edge  of  the  face,  and  sent  only  a  short  way  into 


62  GOLF 

the  air.  Here,  again,  a  little  attention  to  the 
stance  will  probably  correct  the  fault,  as 
duffing  is  very  frequently  caused  by  the 
player  having  his  ball  too  near  his  right  foot. 
It  may  also  be  caused  by  the  player  un- 
consciously ducking  his  body  in  the  act  of 
striking. 

Sclaffing — Sclaffing  is  also  the  result  of 
striking  the  ground  behind  the  ball,  but  in 
this  case  the  club  head  skids  more  over  the 
surface  of  the  ground  and  the  ball  may  after 
all  be  hit  perfectly  truly  and  with  little 
diminution  of  force.  Sometimes  a  sclaffed 
ball  travels  a  very  long  distance,  as  the  club 
head  comes  off  the  ground  in  an  upward 
direction,  and  seems  to  impart  a  forward 
spin  to  the  ball,  which  takes  great  effect  as 
soon  as  the  ball  touches  the  ground.  Sclaff- 
ing, however,  is  a  vice  like  duffing  or  topping, 
and  must  be  corrected  if  a  golfer's  game  is 
to  become  good  and  steady. 

The  terms  "Heeling"  and  "Toeing" 
explain  themselves,  meaning  as  they  do 
simply  to  hit  the  ball  with  the  heel  or  near 
part  of  the  face,  or  the  toe  or  farther  part. 
As  the  weight  of  the  head  is  concentrated 
immediately  behind  the  centre  of  the  face, 


GOLF  63 

a  ball  struck  anywhere  outside  this  point  will 
not  travel  so  far  as  it  would  if  hit  exactly 
with  the  centre.  If  hit  on  the  heel,  the  ball 
has  a  tendency  to  fly  off  to  the  right,  and  if 
on  the  toe,  to  the  left.  The  usual  cause  of 
heeling  is  that  the  player  is  standing  too 
near  his  ball,  and  of  toeing,  that  he  is  too 
far  away.  If  attention  is  paid  to  the  stance, 
and  if  the  player  is  careful  to  place  the  centre 
of  the  club  face  opposite  his  ball  in  address- 
ing it,  and  before  swinging,  the  tendency  to 
heel  or  toe  will  probably  disappear.  As 
before  pointed  out,  this  correct  aiming  is  a 
most  important  matter.  It  is  quite  common 
to  see  players  who  have  contracted  the  habit 
of  heeling  the  ball,  endeavouring  to  cure  it, 
by  aiming  with  the  toe,  and  vice  versa,  in 
the  hope  that  a  compromise  may  be  effected. 
The  result  of  this  can  only  be,  that  the 
player  gets  rid  of  one  fault  to  contract  the 
other,  and  however  badly  he  may  be  play- 
ing, the  golfer  should  never  aim  with  any 
part  of  the  face,  except  the  part  he  desires 
to  hit  the  ball  with. 

Slicing — A  ball  is  sliced,  when  the  club 
face  is  drawn  more  or  less  across  it,  by  the 
player  pulling  his  arms  in  towards  him  as  the 


64  GOLF 

club  descends,  thereby  imparting  a  right- 
hand  spin  to  the  ball,  which  robs  it  of  much 
of  its  force  and  causes  it  to  curl  to  the  right. 
Though  the  cause  of  slicing  is  obvious,  it  is 
a  very  difficult  vice  to  eradicate.  It  can  only 
be  cured  by  earnest  endeavours  to  "  follow 
through,"  by  throwing  the  arms  well  out 
after  the  ball,  and  not  checking  the  down- 
ward swing.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
it  is  perfectly  possible  to  slice  with  the  toe  as 
well  as  the  heel,  or  indeed  with  any  part  of 
the  club  face. 

Pulling — A  pulled  ball  is  one  hit  on  the 
toe  of  the  club,  the  left  arm  being  pulled 
round  at  the  finish  of  the  swing,  and  the 
head  of  the  club  slightly  hooked  inward. 
The  ball  flies  off  with  a  left-hand  curve  on 
it,  and  sometimes  travels  a  great  distance. 
Pulling  is  not  necessarily  a  vice,  as  many 
players  habitually  play  for  it.  If  the  wind 
be  blowing  across  the  course  from  right  to 
left,  and  a  little  behind  the  player,  a  pulled 
ball,  if  it  be  not  hit  too  much  on  the  toe,  will 
travel  farther  than  a  clean  hit  one.  The 
player  plays  his  ball  well  to  the  right  of  the 
line,  and  more  or  less  into  the  wind.  As  the 
ball  begins  to  descend,  the  pull  will  take 


GOLF  65 

effect,  and  the  ball  will  turn  inwards  towards 
the  hole,  so  that  the  wind  will  blow  directly 
behind  it.  It  will  thus  travel  farther  than  if 
played  direct  for  the  hole,  as  in  that  case  the 
wind  would  be  blowing  across  it  during  the 
whole  course  of  its  flight.  Unless  intention- 
ally played  for,  however,  pulling  is  as  serious 
a  vice  as  heeling,  and  both  will  land  the 
player  in  endless  difficulties. 

Though  we  have  thus  briefly  enumerated 
the  chief  forms  of  golfing  error,  and  indicated 
a  few  of  their  most  common  sources,  it  is  an 
impossible  task  to  diagnose  accurately  every 
case  of  golfing  disease  or  to  prescribe  its 
proper  remedy.  There  are  so  many  ways  of 
playing  a  stroke  wrongly.  The  machinery 
called  into  operation  in  a  golfing  stroke  is  so 
complex,  both  in  its  parts  and  in  its  working, 
that  it  defies  analysis,  and  only  the  most 
general  treatment  can  be  prescribed.  There 
are  some  cases  so  bad,  by  reason  of  organic 
disease  of  style,  that  they  are  beyond  the 
reach  of  cure,  and  the  golfing  physician  can 
only  administer  opiates  to  ease  the  agony  of 
the  sufferer. 

If  a  player,  however,  who  has  grasped  the 
correct  theory  of  the  golfing  stroke,  goes 


66  GOLF 

completely  off  his  game,  and  has  been  play- 
ing pretty  constantly  for  some  time,  a  few 
days  of  rest  will  probably  restore  his  form. 
Some  players  get  "  stale,"  as  it  is  termed, 
after  a  week  of  play,  and  others  require  many 
days  of  steady  practice  before  they  get  into 
their  game. 

Players  after  a  time  get  to  know  their  own 
golfing  constitutions,  and  in  golf,  as  in  the 
other  affairs  of  life,  a  knowledge  of  one's  self 
is  of  more  value  than  all  the  nostrums  of 
philosophy. 

ETIQUETTE  OF  GOLF. 

The  following  customs  belong  to  the  es- 
tablished Etiquette  of  Golf  and  should  be 
observed  by  all  players  : — 

1.  No  player,  caddie,  or  onlooker  should 
move  or  talk  during  a  stroke. 

Note. — When  a  stroke  is  being  played, 
no  person  should  move  or  stand  behind 
the  line  of  fire.  The  proper  place  for 
all  onlookers  is  either  behind  the 
player's  back  at  a  safe  distance  or 
directly  opposite  him  as  he  addresses 
the  ball. 

2.  No   player   should    play    from    the  tee 


GOLF  67 

until  the  party  in  front  have  played  their 
second  strokes  and  are  out  of  range,  nor  play 
to  the  putting-green  till  the  party  in  front 
have  holed  out  and  moved  away. 

3.  The   player   who   leads    from    the   tee 
should  be  allowed  to  play  before  his  opponent 
tees  his  ball. 

Note. — The  object  of  this  is  to  leave  the 
player  unhampered  in  his  choice  of  tee 
and  unobstructed  in  his  movements  by 
his  opponent  and  his  caddy.  The 
player  who  leads  from  the  tee,  after 
playing  his  stroke,  should  at  once  step 
aside  and  remain  quiet  until  his  oppo- 
nent has  in  turn  teed  and  struck  off. 
In  playing  through  the  green,  a  player 
should  take  care  that  he  does  not  get 
in  front  of,  or  obstruct  in  any  way, 
his  opponent's  play. 

4.  Players  who  have  holed  out  should  not 
try  their  putts  over  again  when  other  players 
are  following  them. 

5.  Players   looking   for   a   lost   ball   must 
allow  any  other   match   coming  up  to  pass 
them. 

Note. — After  giving  permission  for  a 
match  to  pass,  players  should  not  play 

E  2 


63  GOLF 

again,  but  remain  where  they  are  until 

o  / 

the  match  has  passed  and  gone  out  of 
range. 

6.  A   party   playing   three   or  more   balls 
must  allow  a  two-ball  match  to  pass  them. 

Note. — A  player  playing  by  himself  has 
no  status  and  must  allow  all  matches 
to  pass  him  if  required. 

7.  A  party  playing  a  shorter  round  must 
allow    a   two-ball    match   playing   the    whole 
round  to  pass  them. 

8.  A  player  should  not  putt  at  the  hole 
when  the  flag  is  in  it. 

Note. — A  player  should  be  careful,  in 
studying  his  putt,  that  he  does  not 
walk  across  or  along  the  line  of  his 
putt.  The  penalty  for  this  is  the  loss 
of  the  hole.  (See  Rule  34.) 

9.  The  reckoning  of  the  strokes  is  kept  by 
the  terms,   "the  odd,"   "two  more,"  "three 
more,"   etc.,   and  "one  off  three,"  "one   off 
two,"    "  the    like."     The    reckoning    of   the 
holes  is  kept  by  the  terms,  so  many  "  holes 
up  "  or  "  all  even,"  and  so  many  "  to  play." 

10.  Turf  cut  or  displaced  by  a  stroke  in 
playing  should  be  at  once  replaced. 

GARDEN  G.  SMITH, 


GOLF  69 


LADIES'   GOLF. 

ONE  of  the  earliest  references  to  Ladies' 
Golf  (if  we  exclude  the  probably  apocryphal 
story  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  as  a  golfer) 
says  that  in  the  eighteenth  century  "  the 
women  of  Musselburgh  often  played  Golf 
on  holidays."  And  on  the  minutes  of  the 
Musselburgh  Club  is  recorded,  in  1810,  the 
decision  to  present  prizes  ("a  new  creel,  a 
shawl,  and  two  silk  handkerchiefs  "),  to  be 
played  for  by  the  fish-wives  of  the  town. 

Leaving  these  earlier  records,  we  find  that 
some  of  the  oldest  Ladies'  Golf  Clubs  are  the 
Westward  Ho !  Club,  which  was  originally 
founded  in  1868  and  reconstituted  in  1893  5 
the  London  Scottish,  started  in  1872  and 
reconstituted  (as  the  Wimbledon  Ladies'  Golf 
Club)  in  1890;  the  Pau  Club,  founded  in 
1874  ;  and  the  Lytham  and  St.  Anne's,  in 
1886.  Several  other  clubs,  notably  the  Royal 
Eastbourne,  Blackheath,  Ashdown  Forest, 


70  GOLF 

and  the  Royal  Belfast  came  into  existence 
within  the  years  1887—1889.  The  Ladies' 
Links  at  St.  Andrews  is  only  a  putting  course, 
and  this  club  can  hardly  be  included  among 
serious  golf  clubs. 

The  progress  of  ladies'  golf  can  only  be 
appreciated  by  those  who  have  carefully 
watched  the  scores  returned  in  club  competi- 
tions, the  records  of  inter-club  matches,  the 
championships,  and,  above  all,  the  extra- 
ordinary improvement  in  style  displayed  by 
ladies  on  the  links.  This  progress  has  only 
been  attained  by  infinite  perseverance  and 
pluck,  and  in  the  face  of  many  adverse 
criticisms  by  captious  golfers  of  the  other 
sex.  At  this  point  \ve  may  say,  without 
undue  conceit,  that  the  form  displayed  in  the 
Ladies'  Championship  this  year  (1897)  at 
Gullane  has  done  much  to  dispel  the  doubt, 
still  lingering  in  the  minds  of  old-fashioned 
golfers,  of  the  ability  of  women  to  play  golf 
well. 

In  many  clubs  where  six  or  seven  years 
ago  there  were  only  two  or  three  good 
players,  there  are  now  often  eight  or  ten, 
whose  freedom  and  accuracy  of  play  would 
hold  their  own  on  any  links.  As  every 


GOLF  71 

year  the  tendency  is  to  lengthen  ladies' 
links,  giving  them  more  brassy  and  cleek 
play  through  the  green,  ladies'  golf  is  sure 
to  improve  still  more.  This  will  make  them 
stronger  players,  and  induce  greater  steadi- 
ness of  play,  with  those  qualities  of  endurance 
and  grit  so  necessary  for  a  successful  golfer. 
Even  now,  all  the  best  lady-golfers  play 
regularly  over  the  full  men's  courses,  where, 
in  almost  every  instance,  they  are  welcomed 
and  encouraged  by  the  members. 

This  desire  of  scratch  lady-players  for  a 
longer  course  and  one  of  eighteen  holes  is 
perfectly  natural ;  for  they  know  that  if  they 
are  given  longer  carries,  and  many  and  more 
difficult'  hazards  to  negotiate,  they  will,  with 
practice  and  determination,  surmount  these 
obstacles,  and  become  longer  drivers  and 
more  skilful  in  their  approaching.  Ladies 
will  not  be  satisfied  now  with  the  drive  from 
the  tee  and  the  short  approach  shot  that  have 
hitherto  been  their  portion.  True,  there  are 
still  very  few  eighteen-hole  courses,  and  not 
many  long  ladies'  links,  but  it  is  safe  to 
predict  that  this  will  not  be  the  case  a  few 
years  hence.  The  smallness  of  the  greens 
on  ladies'  links  is  also  a  very  real  grievance, 


72  GOLF 

as  the  approach  -  putt  becomes  almost  an 
unknown  quantity.  There  is  certainly  too 
great  an  element  of  luck  in  approaching  on 
to  a  small  green,  as  any  inequality  in  the  sur- 
rounding ground  may  unduly  punish  a  good 
approach,  which,  if  played  to  a  really  large 
green,  would  pitch  on  it,  and,  of  course,  stay- 
there. 

In  speaking  of  the  leading  qualities  of 
ladies'  play,  one  does  not  intend  to  draw  any 
comparison  with  that  of  men,  but  simply  to 
discuss  as  shortly  as  possible  the  points  in 
which  the  average  player  shines  or  fails. 
So,  while  freely  acknowledging  her  many 
excellent  qualities,  one  is  bound  to  say  that 
it  is  more  often  in  the  lack  of  nerve  or  the 
fault  of  judgment,  than  in  any  actual  defect 
of  play,  that  her  mistakes  are  made.  And 
yet  a  woman's  natural  quickness  of  perception 
and  rapidity  of  thought  should  stand  her  in 
good  stead  at  critical  moments  in  a  match. 
Having  found  this  one  fault,  it  is  difficult 
to  speak  too  highly  of  the  quality  of  a  really 
scratch  lady-golfer's  play.  Her  easy  full- 
swing  in  driving,  her  accurate  approaching, 
and  her  marvellous  putting  compel  admira- 
tion from  the  coldest  critic.  Perhaps  the 


GOLF  73 

most  striking  feature  of  her  play  is  her 
accuracy.  She  may  not  be  an  enormously 
long  driver,  but  the  ball  is  driven  as  straight 
as  a  die,  and  no  distance  is  wasted  by  driving 
out  of  the  course.  And  this  straightness  is 
what  scores  so  heavily  in  her  favour  in  the 
long  run.  For  where  a  long  and  somewhat 
wild  driver  may  drive  some  excellent  balls 
from  the  tee,  or  through  the  green,  many 
of  the  other  drives  will  probably  land  the 
ball  in  hopeless  trouble,  far  out  of  the  course. 
Her  accuracy  in  approaching  is  remarkable, 
whether  in  the  short  chop  stroke  on  to  the 
green,  or  in  the  far  prettier  and  more  scien- 
tific wrist  shot.  It  is  this  neatly  played  wrist 
stroke  which  puts  the  hall-mark  of  excellence 
on  any  golfer.  Her  accuracy  on  the  green  is 
often  wonderful,  and  perhaps  needs  less  com- 
ment than  other  points  of  her  game.  But 
here  it  must  frankly  be  confessed  that,  on 
the  green,  many  indifferent  lady  players,  who 
at  other  points  of  the  game  take  a  very 
humble  position,  come  well  to  the  front,  and 
putt  with  consistent  excellence.  Both  in  the 
long  approach  putt  from  the  far  edge  of  the 
green,  and  also  in  the  deadly  yard-long  putt 
which  is  the  undoing  of  so  many  players,  she 


74  GOLF 

holds  her  own  with  the  best.  Indeed,  one  is 
often  much  disconcerted  by  the  play  on  the 
green  of  a  lady  who  has  excited  sincere  pity- 
by  her  efforts  to  reach  it. 

The  golf-clubs  used  by  ladies  are  in  almost 
every  case  rather  lighter  in  weight  than  men's 
clubs,  and,  of  course,  shorter,  in  proportion  to 
the  height  of  the  player.  All  good  pro- 
fessionals advise  ladies  to  use  light  clubs, 
especially  light  drivers  and  brassies,  and  in 
very  many  instances  this  advice  is  followed 
with  complete  success. 

In  these  up-to-date  times  it  is  hardly 
necessary  to  say  anything  about  the  suitable 
dress  for  lady  golfers.  For  though  at  any 
open  meeting  one  still  sees  a  few  grotesque 
figures,  either  aping  man's  attire,  or  limply 
trailing  about  in  frilled  petticoats  and  flower- 
trimmed  hats,  the  bulk  of  the  players  are 
neatly  and  serviceably  dressed  in  plain 
tailor-made  coats  and  skirts,  sailor-hats,  and 
strong  nailed  boots. 

With  the  numerous  golfers'  annuals, 
guides,  &c.,  giving  particulars  of  the  eighty 
or  ninety  ladies'  golf  clubs  in  the  United 
Kingdom  (fifty-four  of  which  are  in  England), 
it  is,  perhaps,  rather  invidious  to  single  out 


GOLF  75 

any  club  for  special  notice.  It  is  enough  to 
say  that,  of  the  London  clubs,  Prince's 
(Mitcham)  is  perhaps  the  best,  or  very  soon 
will  be  so,  when  the  new  eighteen-hole 
course  has  been  put  into  thorough  order. 
Of  the  provincial  clubs,  the  West  Lancashire 
(eighteen  holes)  is  quite  one  of  the  best. 
Other  good  links  are  the  Ashdown  Forest, 
which  is  a  very  sporting  course  of  nine  holes, 
and  immensely  improved  lately  ;  the  Mid- 
Surrey,  in  Richmond  Park,  which  is  a  long 
course,  but  somewhat  monotonous ;  and 
Wimbledon,  which  is  short  and  tricky,  and 
most  unhappily  hedged  in  by  the  restrictions 
of  the  Conservators  of  the  Common. 

In  the  management  of  their  club  affairs 
women  succeed  all  along  the  line.  Many 
clubs  that  one  could  name  are  excellently 
carried  on,  the  tact,  energy,  and  resource 
displayed  by  the  secretaries  being  truly 
admirable.  It  takes  all  those  qualities,  and 
more,  successfully  to  carry  through  the  work 
of  a  large  open  meeting  of  players  from  all 
parts,  to  say  nothing  of  the  everyday  work 
of  the  club  itself.  Very  careful  financing  is 
also  needed  in  managing  the  funds  of 
ladies'  clubs,  as  in  many  cases  the 


75  GOU< 

subscription  is  a  moderate,  not  to  say  an 
insignificant,  one,  and  much  is  expected  by 
the  members  in  the  up-keep  of  the  green, 
and  in  many  other  ways. 

The  Ladies'  Golf  Union,  which  was 
founded  in  1893,  has  done  much  in  bringing 
together  the  various  clubs  belonging  to  it, 
and  in  trying  to  institute  some  approximately 
uniform  system  of  handicapping.  To  the 
Union's  excellent  hon.  secretary,  Miss 
Pearson,  is  due  practically  all  its  success. 
The  Union  also  inaugurated  the  Ladies' 
Championship,  which  was  held  first  at 
Lytham  and  St.  Anne's  in  1893;  tnen  at 
Littlestone-on-Sea  in  1894;  at  Portrush  in 
1895  !  at  Hoylake  in  1896,  and  at  Gullane 
(N.B)  in  1897.  The  winners  of  their 
respective  years  were,  in  1893,  ^94,  and 
1895,  Lady  Margaret  Scott  ;  in  1896,  Miss 
Pascoe  ;  and  in  1897,  Miss  E.  C.  Orr.  This 
year's  championship  was  of  very  special 
interest  for  several  reasons.  The  entries 
(over  100)  were  more  numerous  than  ever 
before  ;  the  championship  was  held  for  the 
first  time  in  Scotland  ;  and  last,  but  certainly 
not  least,  the  Scotch  representatives  came 
splendidly  to  the  front. 


GOLF  77 

If  women  will  only  strive  to  keep  up  the 
steady  progress  in  the  royal  and  ancient 
game  which  they  have  shown  during  the  last 
few  years,  they  may  face  their  golfing  fate 
with  a  light  heart. 

LOUIE  MACKERN. 


78  GOI.F 


GLOSSARY 

Addressing  the  ball  —  The  player's  method  of 
standing  and  handling  the  club  preparatory  to  striking 
the  ball. 

All  Even  —  An  expression  used  to  describe  the 
position  or  result  of  a  match  when  neither  side  has 
gained  any  advantage.  See  HALVED. 

All  Square — Synonymous  with  All  Even, 

Approach — The  stroke  by  which  the  ball  is  played 
on  to  the  putting  green. 

Baff — To  play  a  ball  high  into  the  air  with  a  back- 
ward spin. 

Baffing  Spoon  or  Baffy — A  short  wooden  club 
with  a  deeply  lofted  face,  formerly  used  for  playing 
approaches. 

Bents — The  long  wiry  grasses  found  on  sea-shore 
links. 

Bisque — A  point  taken  by  the  receiver  of  odds  at 
any  period  during  the  game. 

Blind  Hole  or  Hazard — A  Blind  hole  is  one  of 
which  the  putting-green  is  not  visible  to  the  player  as  he 
plays  his  shot.  A  Blind  hazard  is  also  a  hazard  which  is 
hidden  from  his  view. 

Bogey — See  p.  20.  A  method  of  scoring  by  holes 
against  an  imaginary  opponent.  The  number  of  strokes 
which  ought  to  be  taken  to  each  hole  without  serious 
mistakes. 


GOLF  73 

Bone — The  piece  of  horn,  vulcanite,  or  other  material 
let  into  the  sole  of  wooden  clubs  to  protect  the  lower 
edge  of  the  face. 

Borrow — To  play  a  ball  up  a  hill  or  slope,  instead  of 
straight  across  it,  so  that  the  slope  will  cause  the  ball  to 
return  towards  the  hole. 

Brassey — A  wooden  club  soled  with  brass. 

Break  Club — Any  hard  object  lying  near  the  ball, 
which  might  break  the  club  in  the  act  of  striking. 

Bulger — A  convex-faced  club. 

Bunker — Originally  a  natural  sand  hole  on  the  golf 
course.  Now  used  also  of  artificially  made  hazards  with 
built-up  faces. 

Bye — The  hole  or  holes  of  the  stipulated  course  that 
remain  unplayed,  after  a  match  is  finished. 

Caddie — The  boy  or  man  who  carries  the  players' 
clubs,  tees  his  ball,  and  from  whom  he  takes  advice. 

Carry — The  distance  which  a  ball  travels  from  the 
club  face  to  the  spot  where  it  first  alights  on  the  ground. 

Cleek — An  iron  club  with  a  long  and  narrow  face — 
used  for  long  shots  through  the  green  when  a  ball  lies 
badly  or  when  a  wooden  club  would  take  it  too  far. 

Club — Any  legitimate  implement  used  in  striking  the 
ball. 

Course — The  ground  within  the  limits  of  which  the 
game  is  played. 

Cup — Any  small  indentation  on  the  ground. 

Cut — To  put  right-hand  or  backward  spin  on  the  ball 
so  as  to  check  its  rolling  forward  after  its  fall. 

Dead — A  ball  is  said  to  lie  dead  when  it  lies  so  near 
the  hole  that  the  player  is  certain  to  hole  it  in  the  next 


So  GOLF 

stroke.     A  ball  is  also  said  to  "  fall  dead  "  when  it  does 
not  roll  after  reaching  the  ground. 

Divot — The  slice  of  turf  cut  out  by  the  club  in  playing 
a  stroke. 

Dormy — A  player  is  said  to  be  dormy  when  he  is  as 
many  holes  up  as  there  remain  to  be  played,  so  that  he 
cannot  be  beaten,  and  at  the  worst  must  halve  the 
match. 

Down — A  player  is  said  to  be  down  when  his  oppo- 
nent has  one  or  more  holes  than  he  has. 

Draw — Synonymous  with  Pull. 

Driver — The  wooden  clubs  used  for  playing  the 
longest  strokes. 

Duff — To  hit  the  ground  so  far  or  so  deep  behind 
the  ball  that  the  ball  only  travels  a  short  distance. 

Face — The  hitting  surface  of  a  club  head. 

Fog — Thick  mossy  grass. 

Follow-through — The  forward  following  of  the  club 
after  hitting  the  ball. 

Foozle — Any  thoroughly  bad  stroke  short  of  missing 
the  ball  altogether. 

Fore  ! — The  word  shouted  by  the  golfer  when  about 
to  strike  to  give  warning  to  parties  in  front 

Fore-caddie — The  boy  who  precedes  the  players  to 
show  the  line  to  the  hole  and  to  mark  where  the  balls 
lie. 

Full  shot — A  shot  played  with  a  full  swing,  and 
intended  to  travel  as  far  as  possible. 

Gobble — A  ball  played  too  hard  at  the  hole  which 
nevertheless  goes  in. 


GOLF  8 i 

Green — Synonymous  with  Links  or  Course ;  also 
used  as  a  contraction  for  putting-green. 

Grief — When  a  player  has  played  his  ball  into  a 
hazard  of  any  description  he  is  said  to  be  in  grief. 

Grip— First,  the  upper  part  of  the  club  shaft  gripped 
by  the  player ;  second,  the  manner  of  gripping  the  club ; 
third,  a  narrow  ditch  on  the  course  used  as  a  drain. 

Gutty — A  gutta-percha  golf  ball. 

Half-one — A  handicap  of  one  stroke  at  every  second 
hole. 

Half  shot — -A  shot  played  with  a  half  swing,  and  not 
intended  to  go  as  far  as  a  full  shot. 

Halved — A  halved  hole  is  one  to  which  both  sides 
have  taken  the  same  number  of  strokes.  A  match  is 
halved  when  no  advantage  has  been  gained  on  either 
side. 

Hanging  ball — A  ball  which  lies  on  a  downward 
slope  in  the  direction  in  which  it  has  to  be  driven. 

Hazard — Any  kind  of  difficulty,  not  being  the 
ordinary  grass  of  the  course,  into  which  a  golf  ball  may 
get,  with  the  exceptions  mentioned  in  Rule  15. 

Heel — First,  the  part  of  the  face  or  hitting  surface  of 
the  club  head  nearest  the  shaft ;  second,  to  hit  the  ball 
with  the  heel  so  as  to  cause  it  to  fly  to  the  right. 

Hole — First,  the  entire  space  of  ground  between  the 
teeing  ground  and  the  hole  ;  second,  the  hole  itself ; 
third,  to  play  the  ball  into  the  hole. 

Hole  High — A  ball  is  said  to  be  hole  high  when  it 
has  been  played  as  far  as  the  hole,  but  not  necessarily 
on  to  the  putting-green. 

Home — A  ball  is  said  to  be  home  when  it  is  played 
on  to  the  putting-green  from  a  distance. 

F 


82  GOLF 

Honour — The  privilege  of  playing  first  from  the  tee. 

Hook — To  pull  the  ball  round  to  the  left  with  the  toe 
of  the  club.  Synonymous  with  Pull  and  Draw. 

Horn — See  BONE. 

Hose — The  Hose  or  socket  is  that  part  of  the  head 
of  an  iron  club  into  which  the  shaft  is  fitted. 

Iron — A  club  with  an  iron  head,  used  chiefly  for 
approaching  the  hole  and  for  lifting  the  ball  over 
obstacles. 

Jerk — To  play  a  ball  so  that  the  club  head  strikes 
into  the  ground  after  hitting  the  ball. 

Lie — The  position  of  a  ball  anywhere  on  the  course 
after  it  has  been  played. 

Lift — To  take  a  ball  out  of  a  hazard  and  drop  it  or 
tee  it  according  to  the  Rules. 

Like — To  play  the  like  at  a  given  hole  is  to  play  a 
stroke  which  equalises  the  number  played  by  the  opposite 
side. 

Links — The  ground  on  which  the  game  is  played. 
Loft — To  raise  a  ball  into  the  air. 
Lofter — An  iron  club  used  to  loft  the  ball. 
Made — A  player  is  said  to  be  made  when  he  is  within 
a  full  shot  of  the  green. 

Mashie — An  iron  club  which  is  shorter  in  the  head 
than  the  iron. 

Match  play — The  method  of  playing  a  game  of  golf 
by  counting  the  number  of  holes  gained  or  lost  by  each 
side. 

Medal  play — The  method  of  playing  a  game  of  golf 
by  counting  the  number  of  strokes  taken  to  the  round  by 
each  side. 


GOLF  83 

Miss  the  globe — An  expression  used  to  describe 
the  failure  of  a  player  to  move  the  ball  at  all,  after 
striking  at  it. 

Neck — -The  curved  part  of  the  head  next  the  shaft. 

Niblick — An  iron  club  with  a  round,  small,  and  very 
heavy  head,  used  when  great  force  is  necessary  to  extract 
a  ball  from  its  position. 

Nose — -The  end  of  the  head  farthest  from  the  shaft. 

Odds — To  play  the  odds,  at  a  given  hole,  is  to  play 
one  stroke  more  than  the  opposite  side. 

One  off  two,  one  off  three,  &c. — When  the  op- 
posite side  has  played  two  or  three  strokes  more,  the 
other  side  plays  "  one  off  two  "  or  "  one  off  three  "  as 
the  case  may  be. 

Par — The  par  of  a  hole  or  round  is  the  total  number 
of  strokes  which  should  be  required  for  them  without 
mistakes. 

Press — To  put  an  extra  amount  of  force  into  the 
swing. 

Pull — Synonymous  with  Draw  or  Hook. 

Putt — A  stroke  played  with  a  putter  on  the  putting- 
green  with  the  object  of  playing  the  ball  into  the  hole. 

Putter — A  club  with  either  a  wooden  or  metal  head, 
used  on  the  putting-green  to  play  the  ball  into  the  hole. 

Putty — A  golf-ball  made  of  composition. 

Quarter  shot — A  shot  played  with  a  quarter  swing 
from  the  wrists. 

Round — A  term  used  to  describe  a  game  over  the 
whole  course. 

F    2 


84  GOLF 

Run — First,  the  distance  a  ball  travels  after  alighting 
on  the  ground ;  second,  to  make  the  ball  travel  along 
the  ground  instead  of  lofting  it. 

Scare — The  part  of  the  c'ub  where  the  head  and 
shaft  are  joined. 

Sclaff — To  scrape  the  surface  of  the  ground  with  the 
sole  of  the  club  head  before  striking  the  ball. 

Scratch  player — A  good  player,  who  receives 
neither  handicap  nor  penalty. 

Set — The  player's  equipment  of  clubs. 
Shaft— The  handle  of  the  club. 
Short  game — Approaching  and  putting. 
Slice — To  draw  the  face  of  the  club  across  the  ball 
so  that  it  curves  to  the  right. 
Socket — See  HOSE. 

Sole — The  flat  part  of  the  club-head  which  rests  on 
the  ground. 

Spoon — A  wooden  club  with  a  lofted  face. 
Spring — The  elasticity  of  the  club  shaft. 

Stance — The  position  of  the  player's  feet  in  playing 
a  stroke. 

Steal — A  long  putt  holed  unexpectedly. 

Stymie — A  stymie  occurs  on  the  putting-green  when 
one  of  the  balls  lies  directly  in  front  of  the  other  on 
the  line  to  the  hole,  and  the  balls  are  more  than  six 
inches  apart 

Swing — The  method  in  which  the  club  is  swung  in 
the  act  of  striking. 

Swipe — A  full  shot. 


GOLF  85 

Tee — The  small  elevation,  usually  a  pinch  of  sand, 
from  which  the  ball  is  struck  for  the  first  stroke  to  each 
hole. 

Teeing-ground — The  marked  out  space  from  which 
the  ball  must  be  struck  at  the  commencement  of  each 
hole. 

Third — A  handicap  of  one  stroke  given  at  every 
third  hole. 

Toe — Synonymous  with  Nose. 

Top — To  hit  the  ball  above  its  centre. 

Up — A  player  is  said  to  be  up  when  he  has  gained 
one  or  more  holes  upon  his  opponent. 

Wrist  shot — A  short  stroke  played  with  the  wrists. 

GARDEN  G.  SMITH. 


86  GOLF 


RULES. 

1.  The  Game  of  Golf  is  played  by  two  or  more  sides, 
each  playing  its  own  ball.     A  side  may  consist  of  one  or 
more  persons. 

2.  The  game  consists   in   each   side   playing   a   ball 
from  a  tee   into  a  hole  by  successive  strokes,  and  the 
hole  is  won  by  the  side  holing  its   ball   in   the   fewest 
strokes,  except  as  otherwise  provided  for  in  the  rules.     If 
two  sides  hole  out  in  the  same  number  of  strokes,  the 
hole  is  halved. 

3.  The  teeing  ground  shall  be  indicated  by  two  marks 
placed  in  a  line  at  right  angles  to  the  course,  and  the 
player  shall  not  tee  in  front  of,  nor  on  either  side  of, 
these   marks,  nor  more  than  two  club   lengths  behind 
them.     A  ball   played  from  outside  the  limits  of  the 
teeing  ground,  as  thus  defined,  may  be  recalled  by  the 
opposite  side. 

The  hole  shall  be  4^  inches  in  diameter,  and  at  least 
4  inches  deep. 

4.  The  ball  must  be  fairly  struck  at,  and  not  pushed, 
scraped,  or   spooned,  under  penalty  of  the  loss  of  the 
hole.     Any  movement  of  the  club  which  is  intended  to 
strike  the  ball  is  a  stroke. 


GOLF  87 

5.  The  game  commences  by  each  side  playing  a  ball 
from  the  first  teeing  ground.     In  a  match  with  two  or 
more  on  a  side,  the  partners  shall  strike  off  alternately 
from  the  tees,  and  shall  strike  alternately  during  the  play 
of  the  hole. 

The  players  who  are  to  strike  against  each  other  shall 
be  named  at  starting,  and  shall  continue  in  the  same 
order  during  the  match. 

The  player  who  shall  play  first  on  each  side  shall  be 
named  by  his  own  side. 

In  case  of  failure  to  agree,  it  shall  be  settled  by  lot  or 
toss  which  side  shall  have  the  option  of  leading. 

6.  If  a  player  shall  play  when  his  partner  should  have 
done  so,  his  side  shall  lose  the  hole,  except  in  the  case  of 
the  tee  shot,  when  the  stroke  shall  be  recalled  at  the 
option  of  the  opponents. 

7.  The  side  winning  a  hole  shall  lead  in  starting  for 
the   next  hole,  and   may  recall   the    opponent's    stroke 
should  he  play  out  of  order.     This  privilege  is  called  the 
"  honour."      On  starting  for  a  new  match,  the   winner 
of  the  long  match  in  the  previous  round  is  entitled  to 
the  "  honour."   Should  the  first  match  have  been  halved, 
the  winner  of  the  last  hole  gained  is  entitled  to  the 
"  honour." 

8.  One  round  of  the  Links — generally  18  holes — is  a 
match,   unless   otherwise   agreed   upon.     The   match  is 
won  by  the  side  which  gets  more  holes  ahead  than  there 
remain  holes  to  be  played,  or  by  the  side  winning  the 
last  hole  when  the  match  was  all  even  at  the  second  last 
hole.     If  both  sides  have  won  the  same  number,  it  is  a 
halved  match. 


88  GOLF 

9.  After  the  balls  are  struck  from  the  tee,  the  ball 
furthest  from  the  hole   to  which  the  parties  are  play- 
ing shall  be  played  first,  except  as  otherwise  provided 
for  in   the    rules.      Should   the   wrong  side  play  first, 
the  opponent  may  recall  the  stroke  before  his  side  has 
played. 

10.  Unless  with  the  opponent's  consent,  a  ball  struck 
from  the  tee  shall  not  be  changed,  touched,  or  moved 
before  the  hole  is  played  out,  under  the  penalty  of  one 
stroke,  except  as  otherwise  provided  for  in  the  rules. 

1 1.  In  playing  through  the  green,  all  loose  impediments, 
within  a  club  length  of  a  ball  which  is  not  lying  in  or 
touching  a  hazard,  may  be  removed,  but  loose  impedi- 
ments which  are  more  than  a  club  length  from  the  ball 
shall  not  be  removed  under  the  penalty  of  one  stroke. 

12.  Before  striking  at  the  ball,  the  player  shall  not 
move,  bend,  or  break  anything  fixed  or  growing  near  the 
ball,  except  in  the  act  of  placing  his  feet  on  the  ground 
for  the  purpose  of  addressing  the  ball,  and  in  soling  his 
club  to  address  the  ball,  under  the  penalty  of  the  loss  of 
the  hole,  except  as  provided  for  in  Rule  18. 

13.  A  ball  stuck  fast  in  wet  ground  or  sand  may  be 
taken  out  and  replaced  loosely  in  the  hole  which  it  has 
made. 

14.  When  a  ball  lies  in  or  touches  a  hazard,  the  club 
shall  not  touch  the  ground,  nor  shall  anything  be  touched 
or  moved   before  the  player  strikes  at  the  ball,  except 
that  the  player  may  place  his  feet  firmly  on  the  ground 
for  the  purpose  of  addressing  the  ball,  under  the  penalty 


GOLF  89 

of  the  loss  of  the  hole.  But  if  in  the  backward  or  in  the 
downward  swing,  any  grass,  bent,  whin,  or  other  grow- 
ing substance,  or  the  side  of  a  bunker,  a  wall,  paling,  or 
other  immovable  substance  be  touched,  no  penalty  shall 
be  incurred. 

1 5.  A  "  hazard "    shall   be   any  bunker   of   whatever 
nature : — water,    sand,   loose   earth,   mole    hills,    paths, 
roads  or  railways,  whins,  bushes,  rushes,  rabbit  scrapes, 
fences,  ditches,  or   anything  which  is  not  the  ordinary 
green  of  the  course,  except  sand  blown  on  to  the  grass 
by  wind,  or  sprinkled  on  grass   for  the  preservation  of 
the    Links,  or   snow   or   ice,    or   bare   patches   on   the 
course. 

1 6.  A  player  or  a  player's  caddie  shall  not  press  down 
or  remove  any  irregularities  of  surface   near  the   ball, 
except  at  the  teeing  ground,  under  the  penalty  of  the 
loss  of  the  hole. 

17.  If    any   vessel,  wheelbarrow,   tool,    roller,   grass- 
cutter,  box,  or  other  similar  obstruction  has  been  placed 
upon  the  course,  such  obstruction  may  be  removed.     A 
ball  lying  on  or  touching  such  obstruction,  or  on  clothes, 
or  nets,  or  on  ground  under  repair  or  temporarily  covered 
up  or  opened,  may  be  lifted  and  dropped  at  the  nearest 
point  of  the  course,  but  a  ball  lifted  in  a  hazard  shall 
be  dropped  in  the  hazard.     A  ball  lying  in  a  golf  hole  or 
flag  hole  may  be  lifted  and  dropped  not  more  than  a 
club  length  behind  such  hole. 

1 8.  When  a  ball  is  completely  covered  with  fog,  bent, 
whins,  &c.,  only  so  much  thereof  shall  be  set  aside  as 
that  the  player  shall  have  a  view  of  his  ball  before  he 
plays,  whether  in  a  line  with  the  hole  or  otherwise. 


9o  GOLF 

19.  When  the  ball  is  to  be  dropped,  the  player  shall 
drop  it.  He  shall  front  the  hole,  stand  erect  behind  the 
hazard,  keep  the  spot  from  which  the  ball  was  lifted  (or 
in  the  case  of  running  water,  the  spot  at  which  it  entered) 
in  a  line  between  him  and  the  hole,  and  drop  the  ball 
behind  him  from  his  head,  standing  as  far  behind  the 
hazard  as  he  may  please. 


20.  When  the  balls  in  play  lie  within  six   inches   of 
each  other — measured  from  their  nearest  points— the  ball 
nearer  the  hole  shall  be  lifted  until  the  other  is  played, 
and  shall  then  be  replaced  as  nearly  as  possible  in  its 
original  position.     Should  the  ball  further  from  the  hole 
be  accidentally  moved  in  so  doing,  it  shall  be  replaced. 
Should  the  lie  of  the  lifted  ball  be  altered  by  the  opponent 
in   playing,  it  may  be   placed   in   a  lie   near  to,    and 
as  nearly  as  possible  similar  to,  that  from  which  it  was 
lifted. 

21.  If  the  ball  lie  or  be  lost  in  water,  the  player  may 
drop  a  ball,  under  the  penalty  of  one  stroke. 

22.  Whatever  happens  by  accident  to  a  ball  in  motion, 
such  as  its  being  deflected   or  stopped   by  any  agency 
outside  the  match,  or  by  the  fore  caddie,  is  a  "  rub  of  the 
green,"  and  the  ball  shall  be  played  from  where  it  lies. 
Should  a  ball  lodge  in  anything  moving,  such  ball,  or,  if 
it  cannot  be  recovered,  another  ball  shall  be  dropped  as 
nearly  as  possible  at  the  spot  where  the  object  was  when 
the  ball  lodged  in  it.     But  if  a  ball  at  rest  be  displaced 
by  any  agency  outside  the  match,  the  player  shall  drop 
it  or  another  ball  as  nearly  as  possible  at  the  spot  where 
it  lay.     On  the  Putting  Green  the  ball  may  be  replaced 
by  hand. 


GOLF  91 

23.  If  the  player's  ball  strike,  or  be  accidentally  moved 
by  an  opponent  or  an  opponent's  caddie  or  clubs,  the 
opponent  loses  the  hole. 

24.  If  the  player's  ball  strike,  or  be  stopped  by  himself 
or  his  partner,  or  either  of  their  caddies  or  clubs,  or  if, 
while  in  the  act  of  playing,  the  player  strike  the  ball 
twice,  his  side  loses  the  hole. 

25.  If  the  player  when  not  making  a  stroke,  or  his 
partner  or  either  of  their  caddies  touch  their  side's  ball, 
except  at  the  tee,  so  as  to  move  it,  or  by  touching  any- 
thing cause  it  to  move,  the  penalty  is  one  stroke. 

26.  A  ball  is  considered  to  have  been  moved  if  it 
leave  its  original  position  in  the  least  degree  and  stop 
in  another ;  but  if  a  player  touches  his  ball  and  thereby 
cause   it   to   oscillate,  without   causing   it    to    leave   its 
original    position,   it  is   not   moved    in    the   sense    of 
Rule  25. 

27.  A   player's   side   loses   a   stroke   if   he   play  the 
opponent's  ball,  unless  (i)  the  opponent  then  play  the 
player's  ball,  whereby  the  penalty  is  cancelled,  and  the 
hole  must  be  played  out  with  the  balls  thus  exchanged, 
or   (2)   the   mistake   occur  through  wrong   information 
given  by  the  opponent,  in  which  case  the  mistake,  if 
discovered   before   the  opponent   has  played,  must  be 
rectified  by  placing  a  ball  as  nearly  as  possible  where  the 
opponent's  ball  lay. 

If  it  be  discovered  before  either  side  has  struck  off  at 
the  tee  that  one  side  has  played  out  the  previous  hole 
with  the  side  of  a  party  not  engaged  in  the  match,  that 
side  loses  that  hole. 


92  GOLF 

28.  If  a  ball  be  lost,  the  player's  side  loses  the  hole. 
A  ball  shall  be  held  as  lost  if  it  be  not  found  within  five 
minutes  after  the  search  is  begun. 

29.  A  ball  must  be  played  wherever  it  lies,  or  the 
hole  be  given  up,  except  as  otherwise  provided  for  in  the 
Rules. 

30.  The  term  "  putting  green  "  shall  mean  the  ground 
within  20  yards  of  the  hole,  excepting  hazards. 

31.  All  loose  impediments  may  be  removed  from  the 
putting  green,   except  the  opponent's  ball,  when   at   a 
greater  distance  from  the  player's  than  six  inches. 

32.  In  a  match  of  three  or  more  sides,  a  ball  in  any 
degree  lying  between  the  player  and  the  hole  must  be 
lifted,  or,  if  on  the  putting  green,  holed  out. 

33.  When  the  ball  is  on  the  putting  green,  no  mark 
shall  be  placed,  nor  line  drawn  as  a  guide.     The  line  to 
the  hole  may  be  pointed  out,  but  the  person  doing  so  may 
not  touch  the  ground  with  the  hand  or  club. 

The  player  may  have  his  own  or  his  partner's  caddie 
to  stand  at  the  hole,  but  none  of  the  players  or  their 
caddies  may  move  so  as  to  shield  the  ball  from,  or  expose 
it  to,  the  wind. 

The  penalty  for  any  breach  of  this  rule  is  the  loss  of 
the  hole. 

34.  The  player  or  his  caddie  may  remove  (but  not 
press  down)  sand,  earth,  worm  casts  or  snow  lying  around 
the  hole  or  on  the  line  of  his  putt.    This  shall  be  done  by 
brushing  lightly  with  the  hand  only  across  the  putt  and 


GOLF  93 

not  along  it.  Dung  may  be  removed  to  a  side  by  an  iron 
club,  but  the  club  must  not  be  laid  with  more  than  its 
own  weight  upon  the  ground.  The  putting  line  must 
not  be  touched  by  club,  hand,  or  foot,  except  as  above 
authorised,  or  immediately  in  front  of  the  ball  in  the 
act  of  addressing  it,  under  the  penalty  of  the  loss  of  the 
hole. 

35.  Either  side  is  entitled  to  have  the  flag-stick  re- 
moved when   approaching  the   hole.     If  the   ball   rest 
against  the  flag-stick  when  in  the  hole,  the  player  shall 
be  entitled  to  remove  the  stick,  and,  if  the  ball  fall  in,  it 
shall  be  considered  as  holed  out  in  the  previous  stroke. 

36.  A  player  shall  not  play  until  the  opponent's  ball 
shall  have  ceased  to  roll,  under  the  penalty  of  one  stroke. 
Should  the  player's  ball  knock  in  the  opponent's  ball, 
the  latter  shall  be  counted  as  holed  out  in  the  previous 
stroke.     If,  in  playing,  the    player's    ball    displace    the 
opponent's  ball,  the  opponent  shall  have  the  option  of 
replacing  it. 

37.  A  player  shall  not  ask  for  advice,  nor  be  know- 
ingly advised  about  the  game  by  word,  look,  or  gesture 
from   any  one    except    his   own  caddie,  or  his  partner 
or  partner's  caddie,  under  the  penalty  of  the  loss  of  the 
hole. 

38.  If  a  ball  split  into  separate  pieces,  another  ball 
may  be  put  down  where  the  largest  portion  lies,  or  if 
two  pieces  are  apparently  of  equal  size,   it  may  be  put 
where  either  piece  lies,  at  the  option  of  the  player.     If 
a   ball   crack    or    become    unplayable,  the  player  may 
change  it,  on  intimating  to  his  opponent  his  intention  to 
do  so. 


94  GOLF 

39.  A  penalty  stroke  shall  not  be  counted  the  stroke 
of  a  player,  and  shall  not  affect  the  rotation  of  play. 

40.  Should  any  dispute  arise  on  any  point,  the  players 
have  the  right  of  determining  the  party  or  parties  to 
whom  the  dispute  shall  be  referred  ;  but  should  they  not 
agree,  either  party  may  refer  it  to  the  Green  Committee 
of  the  green  where  the  dispute  occurs,  and  their  decision 
shall  be  final.     Should  the  dispute  not  be  covered  by 
the  Rules  of  Golf,  the  arbiters  must  decide  it  by  equity. 


SPECIAL  RULES  FOR  MEDAL  PLAY. 

1.  In    Club    competitions,  the    competitor  doing  the 
stipulated  course  in  fewest  strokes  shall  be  the  winner. 

2.  If  the  lowest  score  be  made  by  two  or  more  com- 
petitors,   the    ties    shall    be  decided  by  another  round 
to  be  played  either  on  the  same  or  on  any  other  day 
as  the  Captain,  or,  in  his  absence,  the  Secretary  shall 
direct. 

3.  New  holes  shall  be  made  for  the  Medal  Round,  and 
thereafter  no  member  shall  play  any  stroke  on  a  putting 
green  before  competing. 

4  The  scores  shall  be  kept  by  a  special  marker,  or 
by  the  competitors  noting  each  other's  scores.  The  scores 
marked  shall  be  checked  at  the  finish  of  each  hole.  On 
completion  of  the  course,  the  score  of  the  player  shall 
be  signed  by  the  person  keeping  the  score  and  handed 
to  the  Secretary. 


GOLF  95 

5.  If  a  ball  be  lost,  the  player  shall  return  as  nearly  as 
possible  to  the  spot  where  the  ball  was  struck,  tee  an- 
other ball,  and  lose  a  stroke.     If  the  lost  ball  be  found 
before  he  has  struck  the  other  ball,  the  first  shall  con- 
tinue in  play. 

6.  If  the  player's  ball  strike  himself,  or  his  clubs  or 
caddie,  or  if,  in  the  act  of  playing,  the  player  strike  the 
ball  twice,  the  penalty  shall  be  one  stroke. 

7.  If  a  competitor's  ball  strike  the  other  player,  or  his 
clubs  or  caddie,  it  is  a  "  rub  of  the  green/'  and  the  ball 
shall  be  played  from  where  it  lies. 

8.  A  ball  may,   under  a  penalty  of  two  strokes,  be 
lifted  out  of  a  difficulty  of  any  description,  and  be  teed 
behind  same. 

9.  All  balls  shall  be  holed  out,  and  when  play  is  on 
the  putting  green,  the   flag  shall  be  removed,  and  the 
competitor  whose  ball  is  nearest  the  hole  shall  have  the 
option  of  holing  out  first,  or  of  lifting  his  ball,  if  it  be  in 
such  a  position  that  it  might,  if  left,  give  an  advantage 
to  the  other  competitor.     Throughout  the  green  a  com- 
petitor can  have  the  other  competitor's  ball  lifted,  if  he 
find  that  it  interferes  with  his  stroke. 

10.  A  competitor  may  not  play  with  a  professional, 
and  he  may  not  receive  advice  from  any  one  but  hi? 
caddie. 

A  fore  caddie  may  be  employed. 

11.  Competitors  may  not  discontinue  play  because  of 
bad  weather. 


96  GOLF 

12.  The    penalty  for  a  breach  of  any  rule  shall    be 
disqualification. 

13.  Any  dispute  regarding  the  play  shall  be  deter- 
mined by  the  Green  Committee. 

14.  The  ordinary  Rules  of  Golf,  so  far  as  they  are  not 
at  variance  with  these  special  rules,  shall  apply  to  medal 
play. 


GOLF  97 


DIRECTORY    OF    LEADING    GOLF 
CLUBS 


THE  ROYAL  AND  ANCIENT  GOLF  CLUB  OF  ST.  ANDREWS 
— Club  House,  St.  Andrews,  Fife,  N.  D.  Entrance  fee, 
^15.  Annual  subscription,  ^3.  Hon.  Sec.,  C.  S. 
Grace,  Esq.,  the  Club  House. 

THE  HONOURABLE  COMPANY  OF  EDINBURGH  GOLFERS 
—Club  House,  Muirfield,  East  Lothian,  N.B.  En- 
trance fee,  £12  I2S.  Annual  subscription,  ^3  35. 
Hon.  Sec.,  A.  G.  G.  Asher,  Esq.  W.S.,  18  Hill 
Street,  Edinburgh. 

PRESTWICK  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Prestwick,  Ayr, 
N.C.  Entrance  fee,  ^£15.  Annual  subscription,  £2. 
Hon.  Sec.  and  Treasurer,  Harry  Hart,  Esq.,  5  Fort 
Street,  Ayr. 

ROYAL  LIVERPOOL  GOLF  CLUB— Club  House,  Hoy- 
lake,  Cheshire.  Entrance  fee,  £10  los.  Gentlemen 
under  21  years  of  age,  ^5  $s.  Annual  subscription, 
;£3  3,?.  Secretary,  W.  Ryder  Richardson,  Esq ,  Club 
House. 

ST.  GEORGE'S  CLUB,  SANDWICH — Club  House,  Sand- 
wich, Kent.  Entrance  fee,  ^15  15$.  Annual 
subscription,  ^3  35-.  Hon.  Sec.,  \V.  Rutherford, 
Esq,  3  Plowden  Buildings,  Middle  Temple,  London, 
E.C 

G 


98  GOLF 

LITTLESTONE  GOLF  CLUB— Club  House,  Littlestonc, 
Kent.  Entrance  fee,  j£io  105.  Annual  subscription, 
£i  is.  Hon.  Sec.  and  Treasurer,  H.  E.  Johnson, 
Esq.,  23  Knightrider  Street,  London,  E.G. 

CINQUE  PORTS  GOLF  CLUB,  DEAL — Club  House,  Deal, 
Kent.  Entrance  fee,  £$  5*.  Annual  subscription, 
^3  3.?.  Hon.  Sec.  and  Treasurer,  Lieut. -Col. 
Hungerford,  Walmer,  Deal. 

ROYAL  NORTH  DEVON  GOLF  CLUB,  WESTWARD  Ho ! — 
Club  House,  Westward  Ho  !  Entrance  fee,  ,£10  io^. 
Annual  subscription,  LOS.  6d.  Hon.  Sec.,  Major 
Winter,  Yorke  House,  Bideford. 

FELIXSTOWE  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Felixstowe, 
Suffolk.  Entrance  fee,  £10  los.  Annual  subscrip- 
tion, £i  is.  Hon.  Sec.,  J.  Hutchison  Driver,  Esq., 
Club  House. 

SEAFORD  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Seaford,  Sussex. 
Entrance  fee,  ^£5  5^.  Annual  subscription,  £2  2s. 
Secretary  and  Treasurer,  T.  Gilroy,  Esq.,  Bay  Hotel, 
Seaford. 

RYE  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Rye,  Sussex.  Entrance 
fee,  £$  Ss-  Annual  subscription,  £2  2s.  Hon 
Sec.,  H.  S.  Colt,  Esq.,  33  Havelock  Road,  Hastings. 

GREAT  YARMOUTH  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Great 
Yarmouth,  Norfolk.  Entrance  fee,  .£5  5^.  -  Annual 
subscription,  £i  io.y.  Hon.  Sec.,  C.  Hope,  Esq., 
Gorleston  Priory,  Great  Yarmouth. 

ROYAL  WEST  NORFOLK  GOLF  CLUB,  BRANCASTER — 
Club  House,  Brancaster.  Entrance  fee,  ^5  $s. 
Annual  subscription,  £i  is.  Hon.  Sec.,  W.  H. 
Simms  Reeves,  York  Cottage,  Brancaster. 


GOLF  99 

ROYAL  CROMER  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Cromer, 
Norfolk.  Entrance  fee,  ^5  5^.  Annual  subscrip- 
tion, £2  2s.  Hon.  Sec.,  P.  M.  Lucas,  Esq.,  Cromer. 

ROYAL  NORWICH  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Norwich. 
Entrance  fee,  £2  23.  Annual  Subscription,  £\  1 1 s.  6d. 
Hon.  Sec.,  C.  Steward,  Esq.,  King  Street  House, 
Norwich. 

ALDEBURGH  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Aldeburgh, 
Suffolk.  Entrance  fee,  ^"5  5*.  Annual  subscription, 
£i  is.  Hon.  Sec.,  John  Fry,  Esq.,  Club  House. 

BRIGHTON  AND  HOVE  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Hove, 
Brighton.  Entrance  fee,  ^5  $s.  Annual  subscrip- 
tion, £2  2s.  Hon.  Sec.,  H.  J.  Percival,  Esq.,  Club 
House. 

SCARBOROUGH  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Canton, 
Yorkshire.  Entrance  fee,  £2  2$.  Annual  subscription, 
£2  2$.  Hon.  Sec.,  F.  Bedwell,  Esq.,  32  Queen  Street, 
Scarborough. 

ALNMOUTH  GOLF  CLUB  —  Club  House,  Alnmouth, 
Northumberland.  Entrance  fee,  £2.  Annual  sub- 
scription, £1.  Hon.  Sec.,  J.  de  C.  Paynter,  Esq., 
Belvidere,  Alnwick. 

ROYAL  ISLE  OF  WIGHT  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House, 
Bembridge,  Isle  of  Wight.  Entrance  fee,  ^5  55-.  Annual 
subscription,  £2  2$.  Hon.  Sec.,  Davenport  Knight, 
Esq.,  Club  House. 

ROYAL  '  DUBLIN  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Dolly- 
mount.  Entrance  fee,  ^8  8s.  Annual  subscription, 
£2.  Hon.  Sec.,  G.  C.  May,  Esq.,  13  Fitzwilliam 
Square,  Dublin. 


loo  GOLF 

ROYAL  PORTRUSH  GOLF  CLUB  — Club  House,  Portrush, 
Ireland.  Entrance  fee,  ^£5  5^.  Annual  subscription, 
£i  is.  Hon.  Sec.,  J.  M.  Russell,  Esq.,  25  Mark 
Street,  Portrush. 

ROYAL  CORNWALL  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Bodmin, 
Cornwall.  Entrance  fee,  £1.  Annual  subscription, 
£i.  Hon.  Sec.,  H.  Young  Jamieson,  Esq.,  St. 
Petrocks,  Bodmin. 

ROYAL  JERSEY  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  St.  Helier, 
Jersey.  Entrance  fee,  £2  2$.  Annual  subscription, 
£i  los.  Hon.  Sec.,  Captain  T.  S.  Robin,  4  Qaremont 
Terrace,  Jersey. 

ROYAL  GUERNSEY  GOLF  CLUB— Club  House,  L'Aucresse 
Vale,  Guernsey.  Entrance  fee,  ^3.  Annual  sub- 
scription, £i  IQS.  Hon.  Sec.,  T.  S.  Dobree,  Esq., 
Club  House. 


LONDON   GOLF  CLUBS. 

ROYAL  BLACKHEATH  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Black- 
heatb.  Entrance  fee,  £$  $s.  Annual  subscription, 
^3  3*.  Hon.  Sec.,  W.  G.  Barnes,  Esq.,  93  Black- 
heath  Hill,  S.E. 

ROYAL  WIMBLEDON  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Wimble- 
don Common.  Entrance  fee,  ,£10  IQJ.  Annual 
subscription,  ^3  35-.  Hon.  Sec.,  N.  R.  Foster,  Esq., 
i  Sunnyside,  Wimbledon. 

LONDON  SCOTTISH  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Wimble- 
don Common.  Entrance  fee,  £$  5-f.  Annual  subscrip- 
tion, £2.  Hon.  Sec.,  J.  Gow,  Esq.,  Kingswood,  Gipsy 
Lane,  Putney,  S.W. 


GOLF  101 

BALHAM  GOLF  CLUB  —  Entrance  fee,  ^3  35-.  Annual 
subscription,  £$  $s.  Hon.  Sec  ,  A.  Cole,  Esq.,  Oak 
Lodge,  Telford  Park,  S.W. 

BECKENHAM  GOLF  CLUB  —  Entrance  Fee,  £$  5^.  Annual 
subscription,  ^3  35.  Hon.  Sec.,  P.  G.  Collins,  Esq., 
21  The  Avenue,  Beckenham. 

CHISWICK.  GOLF  CLUB  —  Entrance  fee,  £2  2s.  Annual 
subscription,  ^4  4*.  Hon.  Sec.,  E.  H.  Lawrie,  Esq., 
21  Earl's  Court  Square,  S.W. 

CRAVEN  PARK  GOLF  CLUB  —  Entrance  fee,  £i  is. 
Annual  subscription,  £\  IQS.  Hon.  Sec.,  Dr.  H.  J. 
Buck,  23  Clapton  Common,  N.E. 

DULWICH  AND  SYDENHAM  HILL  GOLF  CLUB—  Entrance 
fee,  ^5  5*.  Annual  subscription,  ^3  3^.  Hon. 
Sec.,  J.  McNab,  Esq.,  the  Club  House. 


EALING  GOLF  CLUB  —  Annual  subscription,  £4  4$.  Hon. 
Sec.,  A.  T.  W.  McCaul,  21,  St.  Helen's  Place,  Bishops- 
gate  Street,  E.G. 

EAST  FINCHLEY  GOLF  CLUB  —  Entrance  fee,  £i  is 
Annual  subscription,  £$  35-.  Hon.  Sec.,  J.  W.  P. 
Scott,  Esq.,  17  North  Road,  Highgate,  N. 

ELTHAM  GOLF  CLUB  —  Entrance  fee,  ;£io  los.  Annual 
subscription,  ^5  5*.  Sec.  and  Treasurer,  R.  A. 
Collingwood,  Esq.,  the  Club  House,  Eltham,  Kent. 

ROYAL  EPPING  FOREST  GOLF  CLUB,  CHINGFORD— 
Entrance  fee,  ^3  3*.  Annual  subscription,  £i  is. 
Sec.,  T.  F.  Caldwell,  Esq.,  Queen's  Grove  Road,  Ching- 
ford,  Essex. 


102  GOL>F 

FINCHLEY  GOLF  CLUB— Entrance  fee,  £2  2S.  Annual 
subscription,  £2  zs.  Hon.  Sec.,  A.  F.  Drew,  Esq., 
22  Cyprus  Road,  Finchley,  N, 

HAMPSTEAD  GOLF  CLUB — Entrance  fee,  ^5  5*.  Annual 
subscription,  £$  3*.  Hon.  Sec.,  H.  Knox,  Esq., 
Club  House. 

HONOR  OAK  AND  FOREST  PARK  GOLF  CLUB — Annual 
subscription,  ^4  4-r.  Hon.  Sec.,  W.  Wingate,  Esq., 
37  Mark  Lane. 

MID  SURREY  GOLF  CLUB,  OLD  DEER  PARK,  RICH- 
MOND—  Entrance  fee,  £10  IQS.  Annual  subscription, 
^5  5-r.  Sec.  and  Treasurer,  J.  C.  Montgomerie,  Esq., 
the  Club  House. 

MUSWELL  HILL  GOLF  CLUB — Entrance  fee,  ^3  3.?. 
Annual  subscription,  £2  zs.  Hon.  Sec.,  D.  A. 
"Watson,  Esq.,  Tottenham  Wood  House,  Wood 
Green. 

NEASDEN  GOLF  CLUB— Entrance  fee,  £$  5*.  Annual 
subscription,  ;£6  6*.  Hon.  Sec.,  S.  Clifford,  Esq., 
Club  House. 

NORBURY  GOLF  CLUB — Entrance  fee,  £2  2s.  Annual 
subscription,  ^3  3*.  Hon.  Sec  ,  A,  W.  Macfarlane, 
Esq.,  34  Kempshott  Road,  Streatham,  S.W. 

PRINCE'S  GOLF  CLUB,  MITCHAM — Entrance  fee,  £6  6*. 
Annual  subscription,  £4  45.  Hon.  Sec.,  R.  Hippisley 
Cox,  Esq.,  the  Club  House. 


GOLF  103 

RAYNES  PARK  GOLF  CLUB — Annual  subscription,  ^£3  3*. 
Joint  Hon.  Sees.,  F.  W.  Butler,  Esq.,  and  W.  H. 
Elanville,  Esq.,  the  Club  House. 

RICHMOND  GOLF  CLUB,  SUDBROOK  PARK,  RICHMOND 
— Entrance  fee,  £10  los.  Annual  subscription,  ^£5  5^. 
Hon.  Sec.,  Capt.  C.  E.  Reade,  R.N.,  Downe  Lodge, 
Richmond,  Surrey. 

ROM  FORD  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Romford,  Essex. 
Entrance  fee,  £\  4S.  Annual  subscription,  £2  zs. 
Hon.  Sec.,  W.  H.  Bose,  Esq.,  Golf  Club,  Romford. 

STANMORE  GOLF  CLUB  —  Club  House,  Stanmore. 
Middlesex.  Entrance  fee,  ^5  $s.  Annual  subscrip- 
tion, £4  4-f.  Sec.,  C.  Adams,  Esq.,  Stanmore, 
Middlesex. 

THE  INCORPORATED  WEST  HERTS  GOLF  CLUB — Club 
House,  Cassiobury  Park,  Watford.  Entrance  fee, 
£-]  is.  Annual  subscription,  ^£4  4^.  Sec.,  Ernest 
R.  Harby,  Esq.,  Greenhill  Lodge,  Watford. 

TOOTING  EEC  GOLF  CLUB,  FURZEDOWN — Entrance  fee, 
;£i5  15*.  Annual  subscription,  £3  $s.  Sec.,  J. 
Duthie  Matthew,  Esq.,  171  Bedford  Hill,  Balham, 
S.W. 

WANSTEAD  PARK  GOLF  CLUB,  SNARESBROOK,  ESSEX— 
Entrance  fee,  ^3  $s.  Annual  subscription,  ^3  3^. 
Hon.  Sec.,  F.  W.  Rawlinson,  Esq.,  Deepdene,  Snares- 
brook,  Essex. 

WEST  DRAYTON  GOLF  CLUB — Entrance  fee,  £$  3*. 
Annual  subscription,  ^£3  3^.  Hon.  Sec  ,  A.  T.  Tallent, 
Esq.,  4. Field  Court,  Gray's  Inn,  W.C. 


104  GOLF 

WEST  MIDDLESEX  GOLF  CLUB — Club  House,  Hanwell. 
Entrance  fee,  ^7  7*.  Annual  subscription,  ,£5  5?. 
Hon.  Sec.,  W.  Jackson,  Esq.,  the  Club  House. 

WILLESDEN  GOLF  CLUH— Entrance  fee,  £2  zs.  Annual 
subscription,  £$  35.  Hon.  Sec.,  B.  Pierpont,  Esq., 
44  Plympton  Road,  Brondesbury,  N.W. 

WOODFORD  GOLF  CLUB — Entrance  fee,  ^£3  3*.  Annual 
subscription,  £2  2S.  Hon,  Sec.,  F.  Mugford,  Esq. 
Beaulieu,  Wood  ford  Green. 


CI.AV  ANP  SONS,   LIMITED,    LONDON  AND  BUNGAV 


000  032  094     5 


